What is HIV and AIDS?

How might religious or cultural practices or
ethnic diversity affect actions / perceptions in
respect to HIV & AIDS? (e.g. how are
condoms perceived as opposed to abstinence
and being faithful as methods of prevention?)
What methods would be appropriate in
conveying messages?
know. Everyone in the organisation should
complete a survey.
Consider the diversity of the population while
addressing inaccurate or incomplete knowledge.
Working with a local counterpart will also provide
valuable insight into the local community. You
may need to tailor activities as appropriate, taking
a softer approach. It is important to build the trust
of the participants to then enable deeper issues to
be discussed.
Using participatory methods such as those
included in this guide or those from other sources
is a good way to engage participants in
discussion. These methods may be new to the
participants and they may seem wary, so being
prepared and confident is important.
4) Preparations before each session
Location of the room is important. Ensure that it is large enough for all participants
and has enough space to move around in. Use a room that is private because you
will be discussing issues that can be very personal and sensitive. This is especially
important in trying to create a safe and open environment for participants.
Setting of the room - Try to set the room up so that you can
see all the participants involved. A horse-shoe shape () is
one way. This also allows room for the participants to see
one another and room to move around. For different
activities, change the layout of the room accordingly.
Materials – Make sure that you have all the materials you need
before the session begins. Flip-charts, maker pens, post-it notes, any props,
handouts, booklets and information leaflets etc.
Translation – to make things easier for participants it would be best to translate all
handouts. Whilst preparing for the session, ensure that you and your co-facilitator
are clear on the context of the work. Sometimes, things do get lost in translation but
it is important to communicate the same messages, particularly when dealing with
very sensitive and personal topics.
Warm-ups and energizers – these are good to get people talking to one another
and get people involved.
Monitoring and Evaluation – prepare tools to gain feedback on the activity/session.
This can help you to determine what worked well, what needs improvement and
suggestions for future activities. See Monitoring and Evaluation section for more
details.
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