Ei-iE

The recent incorporation of the National Union of Education Institutes (NUEI) to the EFAIDS Programme in Uganda reaches out to non-teaching staff in schools. The Uganda National Teachers Union, working on the Programme since 2006, is confident that the partnership will benefit EFAIDS work.

Juliet Wajega, the EFAIDS Coordinator in Uganda emphasised the importance of joint action, “HIV has no boundaries, it affects the learners, teachers and other members of the school community indiscriminately”. The incorporation of NUEI into the EFAIDS Programme aims “to bring the non-teaching support staff on board in response to the HIV and AIDS epidemic”.

The partnership will implement activities to counter and limit the negative effect of HIV and AIDS among the school community and promote access to treatment, care and support of teachers, support staff and students. A survey on the needs of support staff will be carried out and the results used to make the EFAIDS Programme more relevant to them. Key messages will be translated into local languages to make the programme more accessible.

Juliet Wajega highlights how important support staff are to the success of the EFAIDS Programme and urges other countries to be proactive in their approach. Support staff are an integral part of the school community and “so it is high time we actively involved them in issues at the school level”.

Adapted from The Voice of the Teachers, the newsletter of UNATU.