Using Information and Communication Technology to Combat HIV/AIDS

The project aims to build capacity of youth participants in peer mentoring, entrepreneurship, and communications. It includes such activities as website development, email, CD-ROM development, and list-serves to complement existing HIV/AIDS Information Education and Communication (IEC) campaigns designed to reach youth and their communities.

According to EDC, school-based telecentres enable access to ICTs and provide a local forum for dialogue. Social action plans developed in conjunction with ICT learning allow students and teachers to interact with and educate their community. Plans include working with parent-teacher associations, income generation for youth, and documenting testimonies of community members with HIV/AIDS.

Specific project activities include:

• The Online Project – Online modules that encourage teachers and students to explore myths and misunderstandings, conduct research, and discuss how they can prevent the spread of HIV/AIDS in their own lives and communities.
• AIDSWEB Social Action Website Competition – Youth from 60 Ugandan schools participated in week-long AIDSWEB website design workshops.
• HIV/AIDS Educational Resource Material – A CD-ROM with relevant HIV/AIDS websites for schools with slow or no Internet connections and assistance in development of high-quality and locally produced print-based HIV/AIDS educational material for electronic dissemination via CD-ROM and website.
• Teacher Exchanges – Two exchange visit workshops (Cape Town and Washington, D.C., USA) took place between Africa and USA teachers in order to share and review HIV/AIDS classroom materials and experiences.
• HIV/AIDS and ICT Integrated Training Material – Training materials introduce basic computer and Internet literacy concepts to community NGOs working on HIV/AIDS.
• HIV/AIDS and ICT Workshop in Uganda – This event explored ways in which school-based telecentres and ICTs in general could enhance and support HIV/AIDS awareness.
• HIV/AIDS and IT Local Workshop for Online Guidance Counseling in School-based Telecenters – Students in 3 Ugandan schools will have access to online and guidance counseling services as well as adolescent-parent counseling related to HIV/AIDS.
• HIV/AIDS and IT Local Workshop for AIDS Orphans and Livelihood Development – Young women, out-of-school youth, and youth with family distress to due HIV/AIDS are trained in ICT and entrepreneurship skills to help them contribute to their communities through income generation, capacity building, and knowledge sharing.

HIV/AIDS, Education, Youth, Technology, Economic Development.