The Uganda National Teachers’ Union with their EFAIDS partner the National Union of Educational Institutions held a highly successful four day ‘training of trainers’ workshop in Kampala in early June. The Master Trainers are now well equipped to carry out local level training on HIV and AIDS education for their colleagues.
Over forty participants, including teachers from both unions together with representatives of the Teachers Anti AIDS Action Group and the Primary Teachers’ College Principals’ Association, took part in the workshop facilitated by Emanuel Fatoma of the EI Africa Office, Scott Pulizzi of the Education Development Center and Juliet Wajega of UNATU. Zalwango Ziada a nutritionist and Sekyana Fredrick of the National Drug Authority brought their expertise to specific sessions.
During the sessions participants explored strategies to address health concerns of teachers, non-teaching staff and learners, tested the new activity book for learners, ‘Learning for Life’ and developed an EFAIDS plan based on this teaching resource and the teacher orientated publication ‘Leadership in the HIV and AIDS Response’.
Participants came away from the workshop confident in their ability to tackle HIV and AIDS issues and promote behaviour change in their areas, and pledged to start in their own schools.
Emanuel Fatoma was impressed by the trainers’ “original thinking and openness and determination to forge ahead”. He further commented that “the inclusion of NUEI and the Teachers Anti-AIDS Group gave the programme a new lease of life”.
Constant innovation was also a priority for Juliet Wajega, UNATU EFAIDS Coordinator. Highlighting that national HIV prevalence rate has stagnated at between 6 and 7 percent since 2000 she said the training showed, “it was important that we ‘think outside the box’ in the EFAIDS Programme”. She continued “being creative and doing things differently will have the most impact as regards the current situation. 130,000 people in Uganda, mainly married couples acquire the HIV virus every year and yet most of our members fall in this category”.
Making information appropriate to the different age and social groups was confirmed as an important behaviour change strategy. Participants agreed that measures such as circumcision need to be carefully publicised so that safe behaviour is maintained by circumcised men.
UNATU and NUEI committed to continue engaging in policy issues to positively influence them. The EFAIDS Programme in Uganda will monitor progress of the proposed HIV & AIDS Prevention and Control Bill, which criminalises intentional HIV transmission, and work to ensure that it does not undermine an effective response to HIV and AIDS.
For more information about the EI EFAIDS Programme in Uganda, visit the EFAIDS website.