Note for the Facilitator:

This tool was designed jointly by Father Bernard Joinet of the University of Dar es Salaam, Tanzania and Wilhelm Nkini of the Tanzania AIDS Project. Adaptations for use in Burkina Faso were made by Father Jose Cantal Rivas of Caritas. A resource package in French has been developed and is available by writing to "La Flotille de L’espoir, 103 Avenue de Villiers, F-35017, Paris, France.

The package includes a book clarifying basic facts about the HIV/AIDS epidemic and its manner of transmission, but of special importance are the posters and guidelines it includes for interactive sessions aimed at awakening peoples’ emotional reaction to the spread of HIV. The ultimate aim is to arouse peoples’ determination to modify their sexual behaviour so as to reduce the chances of becoming infected.

If the original materials are unavailable they can easily be improvised using poster paper, markers and pictures (e.g., of different fictitious characters) cut out from books or magazines. The authors of this tool use symbols to represent resources and obstacles, e.g., a flood of water represents HIV infection and three types of boats represent three ways of escaping it, i.e., refraining from sex, faithfulness, and use of condoms.

Purpose:

1. To awaken peoples’ emotions concerning HIV/AIDS so as to galvanise the will to protect themselves.
2. To encourage people of different temperaments, cultures, customs, convictions and religions to choose the way that best suits them to avoid HIV infection.

Time: 60-90 Minutes

Materials:

• Two posters illustrating how the epidemic has spread: one showing HIV in its early stages as a stream that could easily be dammed; the second showing the water risen to a flood that could swallow up many people.


• Pictures of different people vulnerable to the epidemic copied from a book or cut out from magazines, etc., and mounted individually on stiff card.


• Three boats drawn on the large poster of the flooded river; these boats represent alternative ways of escaping the HIV/AIDS flood. They are labeled A) Abstinence from Sex; B) Being faithful to one partner and C) Condom Use

Procedure: