Teaching Day One- 11.06.2012

This week we will teach students at a college in Arushatown. We drove twenty minutes out of the city to the school, which appeared to be in a small village of its own.  The drive was my first view of the rural areas and the scenery characteristic to pictures of Africa:  corn fields lined the road on either side, homes of concrete with tin roofs and buildings of wood and grass were set back a bit, hills of green grass and trees dotting the landscape, people walking along a well beaten path- some Maasai, characterized by gauged ears and walking sticks, some women in traditional Kanga wraps skillfully carrying baskets on their heads, and some of either gender (mostly men) walking in slacks and well-ironed shirts- a faint outline of mountains providing the backdrop for it all.  Our jeep rolled over the dirt roads, bumping over ruts and rocks- the daggers of death for tires here.  One tire did not survive the journey and upon arrival it was clear why this ride was particularly bumpy. 

There were three schools in the village: a nursery school, a primary school, and the college where we were to teach.  The college and nursery occupied several connected buildings, yellow and plain with their names painted in dark red on the front side. The primary school was across the street: a long concrete building with iron bars decorating the windows, gray against the brown dirt lawn and dull to the green plants and trees surrounding.  It appeared to be vacant from afar, until a door opened and children ran out, screaming with delight.  Their purple uniforms were a trickle of brightness, seeping through the scene as they ran about the yard, waving and laughing when they saw us watching.  A few dared to come so close as to hide in a ditch fifty feet away and poked their heads up to peek when our own heads turned away.

Minutes later the nursery school released their kids too, and tiny legs carried miniature bodies across the lawn in front of us, bringing forth a stream of shining faces, bright with smiles and producing shrieks of delight that comes with recess and the excitement of seeing friendly strangers standing by their playground.  A few had the courage to come close to wave and one girl was brave enough to share a hug with one of us visitors. These precious children were not the reason for our visit though, so we moved inside the college to meet the students we were to teach. 

Last week we assigned to groups consisting of three American volunteers and one Tanzanian counterpart who serves as a translator and assistant for the teaching.  Each group was then assigned to one classroom of 20 students.  After our teaching, these 18 to 25 year-old college students will proceed to train others in the areas of HIV/AIDS, Life Skills and Nutrition. The teaching schedule is as follows:

Day 1- basic biology of HIV/AIDS and the immune system, modes of transmission, disease prevention as well as communication life skills;

Day 2- HIV prevention, gender and culture roles and issues related to HIV;

Day 3- information about testing and treatment, an overview of Sexually Transmitted Infections (STI), human rights, stigma and discrimination, and decision-making life skills;

Day 4- nutrition education, and information about how to eat a balanced diet;

Day 5- hygiene education, special nutrition practices for women and children, and malnutrition.

We will teach this group of students for about three hours a day for one week and move to another school next week.

Many of the students already had a basic understanding of HIV/AIDS.  They were sure of certain facts about the virus such as the age of those commonly infected, the prevalence of HIV in the global community, and the stigma that is associated with those infected.  However there were still many questions concerning religious beliefs and HIV, how the disease is transmitted, and many questions about the biology of HIV, its progression into AIDS, and why there is not yet a cure.  I think many of these students even know the answers and truth behind the myths of the disease, but their questions suggest that others in their networks have not received enough education to properly keep themselves safe and free of disease- a classic health problem that occurs not just in Tanzania, but all around the world. The purpose of our teaching is to help dispel the myths and stigma associated with those infected with HIV and emphasize the steps a person can take to keep her or him and their loved ones safe and healthy.