School Health Education to Prevent AIDS and Sexually Transmitted Diseases (STD) : Teachers' Guide (UNESCO - WHO, 1994, 117 p.): Unit 4. Care and support: 2 The story of two communities - Two communities react differently to someone with AIDS

School Health Education to Prevent AIDS and Sexually Transmitted Diseases (STD) : Teachers' Guide (UNESCO - WHO, 1994, 117 p.)

Unit 4. Care and support

		(introduction...)
		1 Who discriminates? - Definition and case studies
		2 The story of two communities - Two communities react differently to someone with AIDS
		3 Why compassion? - Explores reasons for compassion
		4 What could you do? - Compassion for two people with AIDS
		5 How to’s of care giving - Information on how to care for someone with AIDS
		6 How to keep yourself safe - Precautionary care for someone who is looking after someone with AIDS
		7 What do you know? - Two tests to determine what students know about caregiving
		8 Support for responsible behaviour - How to show support for someone who has made healthy decisions
		9 Compassion, tolerance and support - Showing support outside the classroom

2 The story of two communities - Two communities react differently to someone with AIDS

Purpose

It is important for young people to feel what it is like to be discriminated against. This can be at least partially accomplished by reflecting on comments made by a person living with AIDS. This is a true story -only the names have been changed.

What the teacher does

1. Decide how to teach this activity:

a) Provide each student with an activity sheet and have the students work individually or in pairs to complete the activity.
b) Read the comments and actions from community A and community B once. Read them a second time and have the students individually decide on the three most hurtful and three most helpful and to explain why they chose those three. Ask the students to write a couple of sentences about how they feel about community A and about community B. (Only one activity sheet needed.)

2. Ask students to identify the three most hurtful and the three most helpful comments and to explain their choices. Then ask them about their feelings about community A and community B.

3. Finally, discuss the question at the end of the activity. Answers are suggested below.

Why do you think there was such a difference between the two communities?

· Ignorance about transmission in community A
· Fear on the part of a large group of people
· Education programme in community B
· Peers supporting Ryando

What should be done by parent(s)
(if a Parents’ Guide is used)

This would be an excellent activity for students to take home to their parents. Students could compare their 3 answers for each community with those that their parents selected. (Students could read the comments if parents are unable to read.)