PROPOSAL FROM COMMISSION ON HIV/AIDS

ADDRESSING STIGMA AND SEXUALITY: CHALLENGES FOR ADULT EDUCATION AMIDST THE HIV PANDEMIC

It is now 25 years since HIV was first detected and diagnosed yet the pandemic continues to claim millions of lives throughout the world. As sexual intercourse is one of the main modes of transfer of the virus, it has not been easy to discuss prevention in many societies where open discussion of issues of sexuality is taboo. Moreover as AIDS has been associated with “not normal” sexual relations like homosexuality and prostitution, it is a common perception that preventive education is not needed for those having “normal” sexual relations. At the same time, because of the way HIV/AIDS has been socially constructed, people living with HIV/AIDs (PLWHA) and who are affected  by it are facing stigma and discrimination, leaving them out effectively to become part of the solution.

For adult education to address the pandemic, practitioners not only have to take the above issues into consideration but also other themes like increasing feminization of the pandemic, the relationship of multiple forms of violence against women and girls and HIV, the disproportionate burden that women and girls bear in the so called care economy, the increasing vulnerability of younger people and the role of migration. More importantly, it has to learn from existing good practices among the young and adults to ensure that we are building on other people’s experiences and not reinventing the wheel in such an urgent matter like the HIV pandemic.

The Commission has four objectives:

1)     To gain an overview of the key issues of the HIV pandemic and its implications for adult education;

2)     To promote a gender equality and women’s rights perspective on HIV prevention; treatment and care

3)     To  share existing good practices in different regions; and

4)     To come up with concrete proposals on how the different stakeholders present in the Commission could work together in ensuring that adult education effectively helps in addressing the epidemic.

To be able to meet the above objectives, the work of the Commission will be divided into three parts:

I.                   Brief Situation, Key Issues and Implications for Adult Education

II.                 Effective Practices on HIV Prevention, tratment and care

III.              Ways of moving forward

Methodology:

First round table: Situation and key issues (one hour)

Presentations:

1. Situation of HIV pandemic today (10 minutes) – Chola Mtonga
2. Feminization of the pandemic- c/o Action Aid (10 minutes) special focus on HIV AIDS and VAW and girls
3. Involvement and participation of PLWHA- Margarete Wambete  (10 minutes)

Discussion: Key issues and implications for adult education (30 minutes)

Moderator: Prakash Bhattarai

Second round table: Good Practices on HIV Prevention (one hour)

Presentation:

1.      Conducting Literacy among HIV positive women – Irene Yameogo (10 minutes)

2.      STAR approach- Diarra Cheick Mahamadou (PAMOJA)

3.      Networking and Education- The Positive Learning Work Group (PLWG) experience from Asia- Usa Duongsaa (ASPBAE)

Discussions: Key lessons learned from these practices (30 minutes)
Video/ snap shot to introduce the discussions on the first day (to be determined)
Moderator: to be determined

Small group discussions on what could be next steps forward (20 minutes)
Sharing of proposals and discussion (40 minutes)

 Contact: Margaret Wambete, Kenya Association of Teachers Living with HIV/AIDS, wambete@yahoo.com
ICAE, ana@icae.org.uy