Last May Roy Mwaba, General Secretary of the Zambia National Union of Teachers (ZNUT), paid a visit to the Botswana Teachers Union (BTU) in order to share experiences on the EFAIDS Programme. From 10-13 June BTU representatives paid a return visit to ZNUT in Zambia. Led by Ronald Ketshabe (BTU EFAIDS Coordinator), the Deputy General Secretary and two other BTU members, the unionists embarked on a dense programme of activities.
The delegation visited the Ministry of Education (MoE) and discussed with officials the partnership between MoE and ZNUT in the area of HIV prevention. From there, they met trainers of trainers from the Anti Aids Teachers Association of Zambia (AATAZ). The following day was devoted to meetings with various departments within ZNUT (Research, Workers’ Education, Support groups, EFAIDS etc).
This exchange of views session is another example of successful South-South cooperation between EI unions which have similar socio- political contexts. BTU learned a lot about the successful partnerships which ZNUT has built with its National AIDS Committee, the MoE and AATAZ. ZNUT also shared their experience on how to identify and provide support to teachers living with HIV and AIDS. Both sides agreed that the exchange visits were a valuable experience which should be repeated.