A figure's caption would go here. It could offer a more detailed explanation of the figure than offered in the name.

Frequently Asked Questions Here are several questions often asked about HIV and AIDS. We will address these questions through this course. We have also provided a good overview: Facts and Myths About AIDS, which can give teachers a good grounding on the subject. PDF Version below: Facts and Myths About AIDS This information, in poster form (tested successfully in Uganda) answers some of the questions below: Questions: What is HIV? What is AIDS? How quickly do people infected with HIV develop AIDS? How many people are affected by HIV/AIDS? How is HIV transmitted? How is HIV not transmitted? How can I reduce my risk of becoming infected with HIV through sexual contact? How can I avoid acquiring HIV from a contaminated syringe? Is there a link between HIV and other STDs? Are there other ways to avoid getting HIV through sex? Are some people at greater risk of HIV infection than others? Are women especially vulnerable to HIV? Are young people at significant risk of HIV infection? Are there treatments for HIV/AIDS? Is there a cure for AIDS? Is there a vaccine to prevent HIV infection? Can you tell whether someone has HIV or AIDS? How can I know whether I'm HIV-infected? Should I get tested? How can I get tested? Where can I get more information about HIV and AIDS? How can I help fight HIV/AIDS? ____________________________________ The title at the top of the page, "A Practical Guide to Prevention, Health, and Life," is in blue. This is a PDF file and can be accessed by simply clciking on the blue words. Often, you'll be able to click on the blue words and access PDF files. Other times, however, the blue words are a link to a site, and in order to access the site, you need to be connected to the Internet.

Useful Resources for Teachers on HIV and AIDS Common Questions About HIV/AIDS (online only - U.S. focused) Full Manual on HIV-AIDS (with pictures): This manual describes the symptoms as well as treatments in a language clear and simple enough for all to understand. Basic Knowledge on HIV-AIDS/STD This site was developed by UNESCO and includes information from which students can be quizzed to judge their knowledge of the subject. Children orphaned by HIV/AIDS : Strategies for Hope: (online only) An excellent model that encourages community mobilization around HIV/AIDS (i.e. to get people involved in HIV/AIDS prevention and care efforts) They use the Stepping Stones community training curriculum. National and Regional NGO links (country by country): This is a good source to find out what is happening in HIV-AIDS education around the world. Additional Resources (PDFs) AIDS Basics More Basic Knowledge

HIV HIV is a virus. Illnesses caused by a virus cannot be cured by antibiotics. (Although medicines may help to reduce the symptoms) People who have a virus - such as a cold - usually get better after a few days or weeks because the white blood cells of the immune system - which are responsible for fighting diseases - successfully overcomes them. When a person is infected with HIV, the immune system tries to fight off the virus and does make some antibodies, but these antibodies are not able to defeat HIV. The person is said to be HIV Positive. Many people do not feel ill at all when they are first infected. They may have no symptoms for a long time. They have not yet got AIDS. HIV acts by gradually destroying the immune system of the infected person. After about 5 to 10 years (although much earlier in a minority of cases) the immune system becomes so weak - or 'deficient'- that it cannot fight off infections as it used to. (For reading sources, click here.) HIV is found in body fluids such as blood, semen, vaginal fluids and breastmilk. It is passed from one person to another - or transmitted - only in very specific ways. These are: through sexual intercourse between a man and a woman or between two men; through infected blood - for example through contaminated blood transfusions or unsterilised needles and syringes. (In most places today blood transfusions are completely safe because the blood is tested for HIV before it is used to treat patients); and from an infected mother to her baby while it is still in the womb or during childbirth or during breastfeeding. HIV does not spread through "casual" everyday contact between people. It is not transmitted by coughing, or sneezing, or by touching or hugging someone who has the virus. It is not spread in air, water or in food, or by sharing cups, bowls, cutlery, clothing, or toilet seats. And HIV is not transmitted by biting insects such as mosquitoes, because the quantity of blood on their mouthparts is too minute. (For reading source, click here.) Further Resource: UNAIDS

AIDS Eventually the infected [HIV] person may lose weight and become ill with diseases like persistent severe diarrhea, fever, or pneumonia, or skin cancer. He or she has now developed AIDS. At the moment, in spite of much research, there is no cure for HIV or for AIDS and so, sadly, it is almost certain that people diagnosed with AIDS will die. (For reading sources, click here.)

The Role of Culture Around the world a variety of cultural practices and traditions increase young people's risk for HIV/AIDS. For the most part, these practices and traditions affect young people more than adults - and affect young women even more than young men. Women's Status In many societies women are expected and taught to subordinate their own interests to those of their partners. With such expectations, young women often feel powerless to protect themselves against HIV infection and unintended pregnancies. Often, adolescent girls endure sexual coercion and abuse. In Kenya 40% of sexually active female secondary school students said that they have been forced or tricked into sex (3). In Cameroon 40% of female adolescents reported that their first intercourse was forced (313). Young women sometimes give in to having sex for fear that, if they refuse, they will be raped anyway (205). Wife abuse is widespread. In some countries more than 40% of women have been assaulted by their partners (119). Gender-based violence is closely linked to HIV/AIDS (220). In Rwanda, for example, HIV-positive women with an HIV-positive partner were more likely to report sexual coercion in their relationship than were women without HIV (380). In Tanzania partner violence was 10 times higher among young HIV-positive women than HIV-negative women (220). Many women do not dare even to bring up the topic of condoms for protection against HIV infection for fear that they will be physically abused (381). Marriage Practices In many cultures, the premium placed on having children often leads to childhood marriage and early childbearing. Girls as young as age 10 are given to older men in marriage in order to cement friendships and economic ties between families. When girls are married to older men, they can be vulnerable to HIV infection because their husbands usually have already had a number of sexual partners. Social, political, and religious barriers often hide young wives from the world (423), while their husbands frequently have other sexual partners (12). Polygyny, the practice of a man having multiple wives, occurs in some countries. In Africa, when the husband seeks a new, often younger, wife, he may have sexual contact with a number of women in the process and thus risk bringing HIV home (7, 12, 41). In some cultures, wife inheritance is practiced - a tradition in which a wife is given to her brother-in-law upon her husband's death. Thus, either partner can be at risk of HIV infection if the other is infected. Younger widows are at particular risk because they are more likely to seek and be sought by other sex partners (6, 277, 321). In some societies payment of bridal dowry is necessary when a man and woman marry. In parts of Africa the man pays the dowry to the woman's family. Once the marriage is sealed with the dowry, the woman is considered "paid for" and often cannot leave her husband, should marital problems ensue. Even if her husband's behavior places her at risk of HIV infection, the woman may not be able to protect herself (119). Rites of Passage Cultural rites of passage from childhood into adulthood, although traditionally serving to unite communities, can increase risks for HIV. For example, traditional male or female circumcisions are sometimes carried out using unsterilized equipment. Researchers think that male circumcision reduces risks for HIV transmission by removing part of the foreskin that is particularly vulnerable to HIV. In some communities, however, circumcision ceremonies often are accompanied by post-initiation sexual experimentation, which increases risks for HIV (174, 350). For example, among the Maasai of East Africa the relationship among male peers is so close that, after circumcision, the initiates share wives and girlfriends. Sexual Practices Some sexual practices such as dry sex-the insertion of foreign objects to dry the vagina or to make it tighter -can cause cuts and scratches that create openings for HIV to pass through (321). Other practices, such as virginity testing of women, may place such a high premium on chastity before marriage that unmarried women practice anal sex instead, putting themselves at even greater risk for HIV/AIDS than if they had vaginal sex (341).

Assignment 1 - Your Context and Community We would like you to describe the challenges and opportunities facing you and your school in terms of HIV-AIDS Education, by providing us with information. There are FOUR ways in which you can send your responses to your HIV-AIDS Mentor. Copy and paste (or retype) the questions to a file and send them to your instructor via email. The address is: hiv@teacherswithoutborders.org Upload the file to your Personal File Storage. To do so, save this as a Word file (doc) or a txt file (txt). When you log on as a Learner to the HIV-AIDS for Educators course, you'll see a place where you can upload files to your instructor. If you need more instructions about this, please click on Outline and view the section: "How To Use Your Personal File Storage." Assignment 1: Your Context and Community Send it to an online survey for us to use as research. Click here for the online link to the online survey. You can send the survey in the post to the following address: HIV-AIDS Mentor Teachers Without Borders 2880 74th Avenue, S.E. Mercer Island, WA 98040 U.S.A. ______________________________________________________________ HERE ARE THE QUESTIONS for Assignment 1 - Your Context and Community Please describe the challenges and opportunities facing you and your school in terms of HIV-AIDS Education, by providing us with information. What, if any, HIV-AIDS education takes place? Describe the curriculum in general terms, along with any points of view or orientation the school or community wishes to emphasize. On the subject of condoms, for example (described in more detail later on in this course), some schools stress condom use; others avoid the subject; still others are against it. We are not asking for a point of view with which we agree - just the truth. What are the incentives to conduct HIV-AIDS education? What are the obstacles to conducting HIV-AIDS education? Is there a voluntary HIV-AIDS testing facility near by? If so, are the tests free? If not, how much do they cost? Is there fear associated with HIV-AIDS testing? Is there stigma associated with HIV-AIDS testing? If young people are tested positive, do they have a place to go for treatment? If there is a place, is it adequate? Describe what causes some people to go and what causes others not to go. __________________________________________________________ This is the last page of this section. To get to the next section, you MUST use the "Outline" button and choose the next topic called "Guidelines for the Surveys" - written in black - and click on it in order to get to it.)