1. Introduction

In lesson 7 students learned about safe sex and how to protect themselves and their partner from STIs including HIV. The ABCDEFG method is used to explain the different options they can choose from to prevent STIs and HIV infection.

In this lesson, students get more detailed information on HIV and AIDS and learn to distinguish between myths and facts. Students are encouraged to go for HIV testing to ensure they know their own health status and learn what to do when the results are positive or negative. Students become aware of the physical, emotional and social impact HIV and AIDS have on people.

The lesson is wrapped up by drawing up a realistic action plan for supporting people living with HIV in their own community.

2. Key Messages

1. How HIV is transmitted,
2. How to prevent infection
3. What to do if you think you’ve been infected
4. What the HIV test involves and what to do about your result
5. There still isn’t a cure for HIV or AIDS
6. How ART and PMTCT work
7. That stigma can be a problem for people living with HIV
8. That it is important to support the people living with HIV around us

2. Lesson Aims

1. Students get to know the basic facts about HIV and AIDS, including the ways one can get infected with HIV and how HIV and AIDS affect people physically, emotionally and socially.
2. Students believe in the reality and the scale of the epidemic and are motivated to contribute to eliminating the epidemic.
3. Students are encouraged to have an HIV test if necessary.
4. Students develop empathy for those living with and affected by HIV and AIDS and have ideas on how to give support.

4. Main Topics

The most important concepts being discussed in this lesson are:

1. HIV
2. AIDS
3. Transmission
4. Safe sex
5. ART
6. Window period
7. PEP treatment
8. HTC centre
9. Stigma

Please find a detailed description of these concepts and many others in the glossary.