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Education and HIV/AIDS in Malawi
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12-year-old Rebecca Abraham in Malawi
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In Africa, a continent devastated by HIV/AIDS, Malawi is one
of the countries worst affected. Every day an average of 267 people
in the country are infected with HIV and 139 people die from AIDS-related
diseases. More than 300,000 people are estimated to have died
of AIDS-related illnesses since the first case in Malawi was reported
in 1985. Today around 9 per cent of the 10.6 million population
is believed to be infected with HIV.
Malawi's Ministry of Education, Sports and Culture and the Malawi
Institute of Education, with UNICEF support, have developed a
life skills curriculum that is being piloted in 24 primary schools
reaching about 2,400 students, evenly divided between boys and
girls. In classrooms, children as young as eight are learning
decision-making skills to help reduce their vulnerability, negotiate
healthy gender relations and take control of their lives. Within
the national strategy to stop the epidemic, the plan is to expand
this life skills programme to all schools in Malawi.
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