The document discusses the role of teachers in promoting comprehensive care for HIV/AIDS among students and peers in learning institutions. It notes that 130 out of 1,140 students at a boys' high school in Vihiga District tested HIV positive. Teachers must be trained to provide clinical management, nursing care, counseling, psycho-spiritual support, and social support. While 30% of teachers currently have capacity, the ministry aims to have an HIV/AIDS peer educator and counselor in every school by 2010. Suggested solutions include teaching by example, running VCT centers, creating an open environment, identifying infected minors, understanding diagnostic criteria, addressing myths, encouraging self-care and positive living, mobilizing communities, improving

1. THE ROLE OF TEACHERS IN
PROMOTION OF COMPREHENSIVE
CARE AMONG PEERS AND CHILDREN
PRESENTED BY:-
MARGARET WAMBUI MWAURA
CO-ORDINATOR – T.E.R

2. Is There HIV and AIDS in our Institutions
of Learning?
One of our Daily Newspapers ran the
following article recently.
‘Aids among students alarms school
heads’
HIV/Aids is spreading at an
alarming rate among students in
secondary schools in Vihiga District, a
teacher’s workshop was told yesterday.
Mr. Meshak Lanziva, the principal at
Chavakali Boys high school, said 130
students at the institution were HIV –
positive and urged the government and
other partners to step up efforts to
reduce prevalence rate.
“Some 130 boys out of the 1,140
boys in the school are HIV-positive. There is
need for the education curriculum to be
harmonised with the Kenya
National Union of Teachers
(KNUT) one to curb the spread of
scourge in the education sector”,
said Lanziva.
Lanziva was speaking at
a Kakamega Hotel where he
officially opened a teachers’
workshop organised by the KNUT
(Kenya National Union of
Teachers) in conjunction with the
American Federation (AFT)
Excerpts from the East African Standard,
dated Friday 21st
October, 2005.

3. WHO’s Bangui Diagnostic Criteria for
Africa
1. Adult’s Criteria
 Major Signs/Symptoms
 Minor Signs/Symptoms
2. Children’s Criteria
 Major Signs/Symptoms
 Minor Signs
3. The Plight of Teachers and Learners
living with HIV and AIDS

4. Sections of Education Sector Policy on HIV and
AIDS
a) Principles
b) Goals
c) Prevention
d) Care and Support
e) HIV and AIDS and the workplace
f) Refusal to study or work with, teach or be taught by persons living
with HIV and AIDS or other discriminatory and disruptive practices.
g) Ill health and absenteeism
h) Recruitment, deployment and staff balance.
i) Exposure at work place
The Universal Infection Control Precautions guides on
preventing contact with blood and other body fluids
j) Responsibility and accountability.

5. What then is the role of teachers in promoting
comprehensive care among peers and children?
Aspects of comprehensive care for HIV and AIDS
infected and affected
Clinical Management
Nursing Care
Counselling and Psycho – Spiritual Care
Social Support

6. What are the teachers’ capacity levels?
 All current teacher trainees undergo a three –day HIV and
AIDS peer education programme
 From January 2006 TTC and Technical Institute tutors
have been getting training to become HIV and AIDS T.O.T
 Since September 2005, principals of all TTC’s and their
deputies, principals of all national secondary schools and
some selected provincial schools have been attending
workshops to help them internalise and articulate the
Education Sector Policy on HIV and AIDS.
 Generally among teachers, capacity stands at 30% but the
ministry has a work plan for up to year 2010 which will see
there being at least one HIV and AIDS peer educator and
one counsellor in every primary and secondary school.
This is proving to be difficult to achieve with the current
shortages, deaths, transfers and retirement of teachers.

7. T.E.R’s Suggested Solutions
a) Teaching through example
b) Training in the running of VCT Centers
c) Creating an ‘Open-Door’ environment
d) Agitating for a policy that will help identify infected
minors
e) Understanding the Bangui Criteria and using it
f) Holding regular competitions in Music, Art, Drama
and Poetry to enhance awareness in care giving
and support.
g) Addressing cultural myths and fallacies that hinder
care and support giving.

8. h) Teaching self care to all to reduce infection
i) Being committed and acting to cause
behavioral change
j) Displaying a caring attitude
k) Encouraging self respect and positive living
l) Sensitizing PLWHA & care and support givers.
m) Mobilizing communities to care for PLWHA
and OVC among them
n) Improving living standards of PLWHA and the
affected by starting locally suitable and
sustainable IGAs including gardening, animal
husbandry, etc
o) Sourcing funding

9. p) Taking steps to improve access to medical care for the PLWHA
and OVC.
q) Organizing vaccination
r) Counselling
 Educative one to one Counselling
 Group counselling by counselling pools
• Staying informed about what is happening among peers and learners
• Organizing regular counselling for specific groups among peers and
learners, parents and members of their community. These group
counselling sessions would address special needs.
Challenges.

10. TEACHER’S ENVIRONMENTAL RESCUE
P.O. BOX 64021,
00620 MOBIL PLAZA,
NAIROBI.
Contact Person – Mrs. Margaret
Mwaura
Telephone: 0723 -330227
Email: miemboe@yahoo.com