We were pretty nervous when we first walked into class. Turns out we had all boys which actually made it easier because there wasn’t the boy/girl tension that usually unfolds during a sex ed type class. The boys all seemed pretty interested and eager to learn. I was surprised at how easy I found it to talk point blank about sex and being safe. The part that was weird was explaining about anal sex and oral sex, as this are important things to know about the transmission of HIV….but I think this was some new information for some of the boys.
At the end of each class we give them a piece of paper so they can write down any questions they might have to put in the secret question box so they can ask questions they might be embarrassed to ask out loud. There have been some interesting ones, mainly because their English is a little rough so we have to try to make out what they are asking. But there have been some very bright questions that we’ve had to search for answers for.
One the third day we got to teach them how to put a condom on. Again, I think we were lucky to have a class of all boys. Boys being boys though, they all had a good giggle when I pulled out the banana for the demonstration. But they all got serious and were eager to learn as we had each of them put a condom on twice for practice. It’s funny, because as we were teaching the boys everything to know about HIV and hoping they retain it all so they ace their test, I realized my hope for them was for so much more. I didn’t want them to pass just our test; I want them to pass the test of life. I want them to make smart choices, stay safe, be healthy and live long happy lives.
The 5th class we just reviewed everything they had learned and drilled in all the important information for them to know for their test and for their life. So we decided to review the steps of putting on a condom. Last week our Zulu community coordinator got a local carpenter to make us a wooden penis to be used in our school and adult HIV courses. This has provided us with many giggles! The man who made it was very cool and serious when he was exactly we wanted in our wooden penis. We all hooped and hollered and laughed the day we went to pick it up. He did a great job. So for our condom review day with the boys I took the wooden penis instead of the banana and the boys loved it. They all whooped and hollered and laughed and a few of them even needed to touch it. It was a big hit!!!
Today was the day the boys took their test. 7 of the 10 boys passed which is great. The ones that didn’t pass seemed to know their stuff in class, but I think they got confused in the English translation of the test which is too bad. We are still very proud of our boys and how they did. Before the exam we asked them if we could get a photo with them. They were all happy to and immediately started tucking in their shirts and fixing their collars, it was so cute. They loved looking at themselves on the camera afterwards.
Like many great experiences in life, teaching the HIV to the primary school students was something that I was really not looking forward to; I was nervous about the subject as well as the Zulu/English language difficulties. Now that it is over, I am so happy that I went through it. It was a very rewarding experience and I only wish I could keep track of each and every one of the boys to find out if they make smart choices in their life and stay happy and healthy. I am so pleased to have been a tiny part of their lives during my stay.
No comments:
Post a Comment