She's colorful, funny and furry and a pint-sized powerhouse for public health. Her name is Kami, and she's – in part – the product of SPH professor and health communications expert Dina Borzekowski, who told her story as part of UMD’s Henson Week. Kami is a cast member in Sesame Street’s international coproduction, Takalani Sesame, and was developed during the height of the AIDS crisis.
Built on extensive and local research into the challenges faced by children in the period, much of it conducted by Borzekowski in South Africa, Kami came about when Sesame Street and its partners were looking to combat stigma about AIDS and HIV. The researchers found high levels of stigma, where people were scared to touch or care for people who were HIV positive. People went to great lengths to keep their health status secret. Many children were left in the dark as to why their loved one was sick. And while many adults would not talk about HIV or AIDS at the turn of the 21st century, children, in turn, made incorrect conclusions about the disease, despite its widespread nature and impact.
Enter Kami. A bright and confident Muppet, she’s HIV positive and an orphan. She also likes healthy food and telling stories.
“She’s written as a full child,” Borzekowski said. “She’s got a lot of curiosity, a lot of humor. And she’s never just reduced to her HIV status or her orphan status.”
After Kami’s introduction to Takalani Sesame, research from Borzekowski and others over several years found that children who knew her had a better understanding of HIV and AIDS, with less fear and more empathy towards people living with the disease. As Kami’s influence grew, she traveled the world – meeting dignitaries, sharing joy and raising awareness.
The practice of using a Muppet to help educate on the most urgent public health problems of the time – gently, in an entertaining way – took flight, and later Borzekowski helped develop another Muppet, Raya, a playful and smart young girl in a yellow kurta, who talks unashamedly about poop and how to avoid a diarrheal disease, with lessons like washing hands after using the bathroom.
Developing Kami and other Muppets with health conditions, “we want to normalize conversations early, with warmth and honesty and age-appropriate information,” she said. “These are the most powerful tools to deliver information and change attitudes.”