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HHD Works with International Partners to Prevent AIDS by Training
Teachers
An amazing 90 percent of the 23 million people worldwide infected with
HIV live in developing countries, according to the World
Bank. The impact is profound: for instance, AIDS has shortened
the average life expectancy in Zimbabwe by 22 years to an average expectancy
of just 39 years. HIV and AIDS is so prevalent in many developing
countries that only a global health education approach may truly change
the attitudes and behaviors that lead to its transmission.
FAST FACTS
- The EI/WHO/EDC programme
has trained over 130,000 teachers in over 22,000 schools
in 17 countries drastically impacted by the HIV and AIDS pandemic
- In Senegal, for example,
it is estimated that as a result of the training,
teachers’ capacity
to mobilize support and resources for HIV and AIDS
prevention has increased 22%
Source: Education International |
For many years, EDC has worked with international constituencies to
share knowledge, skills, and capacity in HIV and AIDS education. Recognizing
the need for an urgent response to combat the pandemic, we have partnered
with Education International
(EI) and the World Health Organization
(WHO) to form a unified approach to HIV prevention through teacher
training called EFAIDS: The EI/WHO/EDC Programme on Education for
All and HIV/AIDS Prevention in Schools.
The five-year programme, begun in 2005, is funded by the Dutch Ministry
of Foreign Affairs to: increase the number of learners completing universal
primary education, decrease new infections, and mitigate the effects
HIV and AIDS are having on both the supply and demand for education by
keeping students and teachers healthy.
Each organization in the partnership brings unique capabilities and
resources in the health, education, and labor fields. Twenty-five
countries representing many African countries, Guyana and Haiti in the
Caribbean, India, and, in the coming years Peru and Ecuador, participate
in the programme. Recently, other international partners, including UNESCO, UNAIDS, UNICEF and
the World Bank have joined this
international partnership to contribute expertise in campaign development
and implementation and capacity in HIV prevention.
A promising approach for reaching a large number of people with messages
of HIV and AIDS prevention education is training members of teachers’ unions. Scott
Pulizzi, Project Director in HHD’s Global Programs, says that increasing
their knowledge and skills “allows us to reach the greatest number
of teachers and learners in the greatest number of schools.”
On February 2-5, 2006 in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, 24 members of the Ethiopia
Teachers Association (ETA) participated in an EFAIDS training session
on HIV and AIDS education. The participants gained skills and information
to bring to their students and colleagues, including: increasing their
knowledge about HIV and AIDS and its transmission; increasing their advocacy
skills; learning how to fight stigma and discrimination; and helping
students develop healthy behaviors.
Another key training achievement was an HIV and AIDS education action
plan developed by the teachers to implement in their schools, and a union-wide
action plan to fit into a broader teachers’ union strategy. The
action points include teachers establishing anti-AIDS clubs at schools,
mainstreaming messages on HIV and AIDS, and establishing guidance and
counselling programmes for students.
The training was a resounding success, and after the session, participants
commented that they felt moved and motivated to tackle the pressing issues
associated with HIV and AIDS prevention. The remarkable impact
of the training is best summarized by one teacher who said:
“The training has had tremendous effect on my previous way of
thinking on both HIV and AIDS. Please continue your dealings with us
in the future. I hope we’ll meet in the near future to appraise
initial successes.”
March 27, 2006 |
