Positive about rights
EI’s programme linking Education for All and HIV/AIDS education, called EFAIDS, now is active in 50 countries of Africa, Asia, Latin American and the Caribbean.
Protecting the rights of teachers and students living with HIV is as much a part of the programme as education to prevent HIV infection. Certainly teachers living with HIV face challenges above and beyond those confronting their colleagues. “The situation is worse for our colleagues living with HIV and AIDS, owing to prohibitive medical costs versus the teachers’ meagre salaries,” says Tendai Chikowore, President of the Zimbabwe Teachers’ Association. Making treatment affordable is one of many issues to be tackled to ensure that teachers get the support they need to work successfully and live positively. The EFAIDS Programme promotes not only their right to have access to HIV prevention, treatment and care, but equally their right to work free from discrimination. Teachers have a right to continue to work and to share their knowledge and experience, regardless of their HIV status. Developing a comprehensive response for HIV-positive teachers is crucial not simply for the wellbeing of those particular teachers, but for the good of the education sector as a whole. The goals of Education for All (EFA) will continue to elude us as long as the impact of HIV and AIDS on the education sector is not adequately addressed. Networks of HIV-positive teachers are a powerful ally in responding to HIV and AIDS. The Kenya Association of Positive Teachers (KENEPOTE) was started by two HIV-positive teachers more than five years ago. Now it is a flourishing organisation with more than 3,000 members. The Kenyan teachers’ successful outreach from humble beginnings provides inspiration to other expanding networks, such as the Ugandan Teacher Anti-AIDS Action Group (TAAG) and the Tanzania Positive Teachers’ Initiative (TAPOTI+), as well as to newer initiatives in Namibia, Zambia and Zimbabwe. Working with and through these networks can be an effective way for unions to enhance their support to HIV-positive teachers. In the same way, networks that are integrated within the union structure can mobilise union members and resources for their activities. Unions involved in the EFAIDS Programme in Uganda, Kenya and Zambia coordinate with Networks of HIV-positive teachers to lobby for treatment access, to carry out workshops, and to implement workplace policies. The development of workplace policies on HIV and AIDS has been an important step in working for the rights of Teachers Living with HIV. Translating that policy into practice, and making sure the positive impact is felt by teachers in their classrooms, is an ongoing challenge, but one that must be met. Greater involvement of people with HIV and AIDS makes the EFAIDS Programme stronger and more relevant. As Margaret Wambete of KENEPOTE says: “HIV-positive teachers are part of the solution to fight HIV/AIDS in the education sectors, not a problem.” By Julie Kavanagh. Julie Kavanagh is EI Professional Assistant for Solidarity and Development Programmes.
