During October 2011 LCDE facilitated the inaugural HIV/AIDS training with stakeholders from our phase 1 woredas (Damot Gale and Bolosso Sore). The training took place for groups of 10 schools at a time with 4 representatives from every school participating for three days each. A total of 271 participants of whom 93 were women/girls attended the training. The training had a major focus on gender and HIV/AIDS which aimed to identify deep rooted inequality that exists between boys and girls and how gender inequalities tie to the HIV/AIDS continuum of prevention, treatment, care and support. By the end of the training participants learned to recognize how these inequalities increase the vulnerability of HIV infection of girls.



The training was very participatory and used PRA tools and group exercises to examine the facts about HIV/AIDS and increase knowledge about transmission and prevention. The training also included sessions on how to make the most of the HIV/AIDS clubs established in schools for the whole community. A reference manual for increasing the efficacy of HIV/AIDS clubs was established. LCD’s next step will be to provide support to the clubs at school level (to enable activity to take place in local communities) and to facilitate community-based meetings at phase 1 schools with kebele health extension workers to increase knowledge in the wider community. We hope to replicate the HIV/AIDS work in our phase 2 woredas during 2012.