Benin: Breaking the Silence in Schools - HIV and AIDS Activities in Benin
The HIV pandemic was relatively slow to reach Benin, but has recently made alarming gains. The percentage of people living with HIV in Benin is now estimated at over 4%, with some areas estimated at almost 10%. Even in the zones with the lowest incidence of AIDS, however, certain groups—such as prostitutes and truck drivers—are severely affected. To combat the epidemic, the Benin government created a nationwide program with a mandate to coordinate the national policy and other programs among government ministries and NGOs. Resources are very limited, however, and despite a proactive and progressive outlook, it has yet to be taken seriously by decisionmakers.
Sex education is not taught in primary schools and teachers receive no training on the topic. While HIV and AIDS education could be included as part of life sciences, many teachers are embarrassed to teach it. Those who are willing often fear parental opposition and following that, ministerial sanction. In general, adolescents are more eager for information and open debate than parents and teachers.
To address this issue, World Education initiated an awareness-rising activity among students, parents, and teachers in Parakou, Benin's second largest city. In an effort to break the silence by stimulating discussion, World Education partnered with CAEB (Council to Support Basic Education), an NGO organized by teachers, to show "It's Not Easy," a Ugandan film about HIV and AIDS. World Education sent a medical resource person with the CAEB projection team to answer questions and provide supplementary information at screenings. The viewings provide an opportunity to involve students, teachers, and parents in searching for locally appropriate solutions to address the epidemic.
The film has been shown in 30 schools, to about 3,000 people including single and mixed-sex groups of students. The students, who vary in age from 13 to 20 years old, have recommended showing the film to upper grades of primary school students as well. The most successful showings have been at the Foyer des Jeunes Filles, a residential girls' facility located at Parakou's Lycee Mathieu Bouke, where the girls were very open in the absence of boys, parents, and male teachers. "I wish our parents could be more like friends so we could discuss issues about sex and AIDS openly with them," said one student. "Many teachers won't talk about AIDS even though we have a lot of questions," chimed another. To foster open discussion about the epidemic and provide an educational forum for doing so, World Education carefully selects participants and resource people for each screening and discussion session. In addition, personal testimonies from respected members of the community have proven to be powerful. For example, an official from the Blood Bank in Parakou talks openly with audiences about a personal friend who is dying from AIDS. Most audiences are eager to discuss the issues and ask questions.
In addition to the screenings in Parakou, World Education and its partners, CAEB and Equi-Filles, have organized an AIDS Day parade in the city and round-table discussions on three local radio stations. World Education is expanding this initiative to rural Benin, specifically in Bembereke, in collaboration with a local health project. Overall, World Education has found the film useful in terms of disseminating information, but more importantly, it gives communities in Benin an opening to begin discussing issues surrounding HIV and AIDS.
Over the past eight years, World Education has been strengthening parents' associations in Benin. Using a training-of-trainers approach, World Education works with local NGOs, which train parents associations in financial and organizational management. The parents' associations draw on the training by identifying a school improvement project, developing a plan, and applying for a small grant to implement the plan.
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