What students and lecturers can do to fight HIV/AIDS?

Notes from Gender Center Coffee hour and from SENCER workshop at Egerton Universityin Njoro, Kenya    16-10-02

1.What do you know about HIV/AIDS and how did you learn it?

2. What have you individually done about HIV/AIDS Gathered information from books, magazines, etc Gone to VCT Nursed a patient Taken preventative measures Stopped sharing razor blades, needles Stick to one sexual partner Participated in education campaigns Destigmatize AIDS patients- working/ visiting patients back at home and associating with them Closer to God after watching friends die- evaluating relationship to God Helped the community move to remove traditional practices like FGM Attempted to have more hygienic male circumcision- not long line of men with one razor blade Fighting end wife inheritance Writing papers about family life education Initiated alternative activities/ clubs drama, sporting to keep people busier Campaigning against all forms of drug abuse Feared to know about HIV/AIDS status- so keep discussing it with friends Written proposals to donor agencies- have dreams about how to control AIDS Visit those who are infected and those who are affected Encouraged parents to discuss HIV/AIDS with younger children at home In AIDS vaccine trial in Nairobi- was very brave attempt

3. Why are university students so vulnerable to HIV/AIDS? Ignorance Careless sex Freedom- no boundaries between female and male hostels- late at night anything can happen Students shy off from going for condoms- leads to unprotected sex The need for money- poverty and students without money for food- young lady or young man goes to sugar daddy or sugar mom Unfaithfulness- even married lecturers may find students as girlfriends One person may have several partners Rape- forced sex- even with student fraternity, some places without street lights Sexually active- students at stage with most hormones, students are experimenting Peer influence- group of students are sexually active and you aren’t- maybe you should- curiosity Alcohol and drugs Lack of accurate statistics concerning HIV/AIDS – not seen a person dying with HIV/AIDS – Need statistics about campus, or person to share experiences Idleness, lack of other things to do Coercion to have sex with lecturers so as not to fail an exam- this is real (Sexually transmitted degree) Or need to do to get an A Curiosity Many myths concerning AIDS- some say that condoms don’t work, or you get other infections- prefer unprotected sex Socialization to being a student, or just in general- may not have been taught about sex in their family Retaliation

4. What can the university do to combat HIV/AIDS?

Free counseling

VCT center

Provide condoms at strategic points where you don’t need to be public

Introduce AIDS awareness unit- AIDS 101

Provide free drugs and counsel them

Carry out research on vaccine and drugs like they are doing at Nairobi University

Hold seminars and awareness campaigns and talk shows

Encourage high moral standards and discourage promiscuity

Be good role models to talk with students

Ozone class- students without moral standards are looked at role models

Educate people using posters, handout and magazine

All depends on individuals

Focus on gender inequities

Billboards at strategic points to keep people reminded

5. What can lecturers do to combat HIV/AIDS? These were added at the SENCER workshop on October 16.

Students aren’t getting information from teachers but from informal sources of information

Read books and synthesize and present information

Teaching about HIV/AIDS could be difficult for lecturers who don’t have areas that are related, but could be introductory material

During orientation bring a person with HIV for presentation- volunteers

Make sure to invite a healthy looking person, not a sick looking one

Lecturers need to be the first to break the silence

No option but to go to VCT

Encouraged to know status and share it- talk about it in a way it can help someone else

Act as role models in HIV by going to get tested and sharing

Arrange a small seminar

Think of policies for university so that every student is in a group to meet and discuss issues with a mentor or with academic counselors

Privacy Develop forum / competition and give an award for best essay, and published in university newsletter In course where you can teach this subject, you can have tutorials and have students present Encourage research by students in community You can bring newspaper / photographs/ to discuss- or discuss policies with students Bring materials that lecturers can use Having organized campaigns in community with students- clean for people Lecturers can be more involved Write proposals to attract funding to facilitate course and activities Need to write proposals as teams- because that’s where the money is going.

This page was prepared by Professor Marion Fass at Beloit College, Beloit, WI USA.

Last updated December 12, 2002. For more information contact fassm@beloit.edu.