By Carol Francis-Rinehart | Co-Founder/ US Director
We all remember biology classes where we talked about the reproductive system and personal body parts, right? A bit intimidating, even a little embarrassing? That was also true for our South Sudanese students but by the end of the first class they were already game to have lively conversations about gender roles and stereotypes and eager to learn more about female menstruation management.
One of the exercises this week at the Project Education South Sudan's HIV/AIDS Youth Leadership and Menstrual Management Training in Bor, South Sudan was where we began to see a real shift in how girls realized their own power. We asked the girls to explain female menses to the boys.
It was exciting to see the girls becoming more comfortable with talking and actually leading the discussion. The students then divided into small groups of 4 or 5 and we could hardly get them to stop talking when the session had run well past the allotted time!
Although these young people, again, ages 13 to 20, have seen more in their young lives than most adults in America will ever see, they are still in many ways naive. Many had never heard of a condom let alone seen or held one. Each student got to open a package containing a condom as we explained how it is used. We lightened up the conversation by having them blow up the condoms like balloons and then decorate the classroom with them. Soon the energy and room felt like we were decorating for prom!
To complete the celebration at the end of class, we made HIV/AIDS Awareness Red Ribbons the students will wear to start conversation and education with their peers.
All in all, it is thrilling to see the needle move a little bit when it comes to girls realizing their power, boys respecting girls and each other, and the students getting a solid understanding of HIV/AIDS transmission and prevention!
Read Tamara’s weekly blog to hear more about the teacher & student training! Her style is light, sensitive and engaging… Tamara’s blog link here
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