Other approaches to addressing

Other approaches to addressing vulnerability in school settings include ‘Stepping Stones’,31 a programme for HIV
prevention that aims to improve sexual health through building stronger, more gender-equitable relationships with
better communication between partners. It uses participatory learning approaches to build knowledge of sexual
health, awareness of risks and the consequences of risk-taking and communication skills, and provides opportunities
for facilitated self-refl ection on sexual behaviour. Stepping Stones was developed in Uganda and has since
been used in more than 40 countries and translated into 13 languages. Key features of Stepping Stones include
its community action orientation and time-limited delivery (thirteen three-hour sessions), use of highly participatory
learning approaches including critical refl ection, role play, drama and its facilitation by skilled leaders of the same
sex and slightly older age than participants.
In Zambia,32 the International HIV/AIDS Alliance, Planned Parenthood Association of Zambia (PPAZ) and the Ministry
of Education are working with teachers and pupils in Grades Four to Nine33 in twenty basic schools to analyse why
schools are high-risk places for HIV transmission and unintended pregnancy and to identify what can be done about
it. Teachers have been engaged in a participatory process to explore their own experience and concerns regarding
HIV, reproduction, gender, sexuality, pleasure and harm and their role in the creation of sexual risk and its prevention
in the school. Teachers have received two specifi c training inputs. The fi rst helped them to explore their own
attitudes and values while the second focused on the development of skills and materials. Teachers acknowledged
the problem of sexual abuse and made plans to address it. They then facilitated a participatory assessment with
pupils, using many of the same tools to analyse the situation with them and elicit their ideas on how to respond.
This produced a wealth of material that revealed high levels of sexual activity and sexual abuse and fed into the
development of an initial set of lessons aimed at the creation of a safe environment for teaching about sex and
relationships. Working in partnership with the Curriculum Development Centre and Ministry of Education, a set of
materials was developed. This included a curriculum, two manuals for teacher training and three books for pupils.