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.
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.”