HIV&AIDS Education in School

I spoke to Sarah* (15) in a Primary School, Innasunge where she is a student. I had asked to speak to one of the students in the school about the HIV/Aids education that they had received. 

“Our class received the training on HIV last year. I had not heard of HIV or Aids before this. As far as I remember the main message from the training was that if a man wants to have sex with you he must wear a condom. They also told us that unprotected sex can also lead to pregnancy. They said that if a boy leaves you with a baby you will be in a bad way and could have to leave school.    

I have a boyfriend in Grade 7 who is 18 years old. I think I am his only girlfriend. He has had girlfriends in the past but he has had only one sexual partner before me. He did not use condoms with his last girlfriend so we don’t use them either. To be honest we havn’t really discussed it. He is my first boyfriend. I don’t really know if this worries me because I havn’t decided whether I want a baby with him or not. Time will tell whether we have a baby or not.

All of my friends are in relationships with boys. Most of them started having sex around the age of 12. Some of these girls, especially those who are not so well off, are having sex with older men from the village. The men give them money or nice things in exchange for sex. I know a couple of girls who are having affairs with married men.

The teachers in the school are also doing this. A teacher will tell you that he loves you and then make it understood that you will fail your class if you do not make love to him. They also take money from boys in order to let them pass. I have been approached by one teacher. I have spoken about this with my friends. We have all been approached by the teachers and none of us like it. All of the teachers here are doing this except the Headmaster.

I am the oldest in my family but I will warn my younger sisters about this practice when they are older.

I will also warn them about older men in the community. Older men in the village also approach me. They like me but I don’t like them.

I know there is Aids in the community. I heard of a woman from George (Innasunge) who died of Aids but I don’t know if anyone from my community has it, I don’t know what the symptoms are.

Some girls my age say that young people cannot get Aids, but I know from the HIV training that anyone can get it. I try to mention using condoms to my boyfriend but he says, “I have never heard of this, why should I care about it.”

Now I am going to insist that he wears one. It’s possible that he will be annoyed when I ask him.”

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