THESISTA PROJECTFacilitator's Manual

SESSION2:

HIV/ AIDS EDUCATION

Rationale:

Session 2 provides the women withsome basic information on sex, drugs, HIVandAIDS. Before women are taught how to protect themselves, they must learn howthe HIV vi rus is transmitted. Teachingthe women about the transmission modes ofHIV is the major focus of this session. Additionally, this session addresses the manymyths and misconceptions that people have about HIV and AIDS. Finally, thissession intends to bri ng the reality ofAIDS closer to home. That means helping thewomen realize that AIDS can affect their lives. Therefore, this session will alsodiscuss what the women can do to protect themselves from becoming infectedwith the HIV virus.

Materials Needed:r '- '- '- ' - '- '- '- '- '- ' - '- ' - '- '- ' -'- ' - '- '- '- '- '- '- '- ' - '- ' - '-'- '- '- ' - '- '- '- '- '- ' - '- ' .'-.. ,! Materials Provided in the HAPPA Program Box: i

~ Opening Poem: "Always There Are the Children"~ "KeyConcepts on Ethnic/Gender Pride" handout~ "Statistics on AIDS" handout packet~ "Facts on HIV/ AIDS" handout packet.. It's Like 11Iis... . videotape~ "Myths & Misconceptions" homework.. "HIV/ AIDS Knowledge Tesf' homework~ Session 2 evaluation form

Other MaterialsYou Will Need for this Session:~ Flipchart, markers & tape~ "Ground Rules/ Expectations" poster, developed after

Session 1 (optional handout header sheet included inProgram Materials packet)

~ Red, Yellow, Green & Pink cards (one of each color perwoman)

Session 2: HW/ AIDS EducationFsge 10

Goals:

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b)

c)

d)

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'l'HESISTA PKOJECTFacilitator'sManual

To provide factual and statistical information about HIV!AIDS.

To explain the difference between HIV and AIDS.

To explain how HIV affects the immune system.

To correct misconcept ions about HIV/AIDS.

To describe how people become infected with the HIV virus.

To discusshow peoplecan protect themselves frombecoming infected with HIV

To discuss how people can get tested forAIDS.

To explain what a positive test means.

Objectives:

~ Describe the difference between HIVand AIDS.

~ Understand how HIV affects the immune system.

~ Understand how people become infected with the HIV virus.

~ Understand how people spread it to other people.

~ Understand how to protect ourselves from HIVinfection.

Session Z Outline

1) Ope ning Poem: "Always There Are the Children"

2) Review Ground Rules/Expectations

3} Review Sessio n 1, includ ing homework

4) Current StatisticsAIDS

5) HIVIAIDS 101 : What is HIVIAIDS?

6) The Card Swap Game

7) Video: trs like This...

8) Homework for Session 2

9) Evaluation of Session 2

10) Closure

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I. Opening Poem

a) Distribute a copy of "Always There Are the Child ren" to eachparticipant.

b) Read the poem aloud with and/or to the group .

II. Review Ground Rules/Expectations:

a) Distribute the optiona l "Grou nd Rules/Expectations" hand out toeach participant.

b) Using the poste r created after the fi rst session, read each oftheGround Rules/Expectations to the women such that they areclear on what is appropriate to do and say.

III. Review Session 1.

a) Distribute and discuss the " Key Concepts on Ethnic/GenderPride" handout.

i. Write the concepts on the flip chart to correspond withdiscussion.

b) Session 1 Homework

i. Discuss the homework, asking the women individuallyabout their partner's responses.

ii . Categorize the responses and write them on the flip chart.

iii. Discuss the responses.

IV. Current Statistics AIDS

a) Distribute the "Statistics AIDS" hando ut. (Or alte rnatively, createoverhead transpare ncies of the material.)

b) Give the women a few minutes to look at the handout Theninitiate a discussion about the information.

c) During discussion, stress that African-American women are over­represented amongwomen with AIDS.

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V. HIV/AIDS 101 : W hat is HIV/AIDS?

a) Distribute the "Facts on HIV/AIDS" handout packet

b) Explain that this exercise will add ress the q uest ions:

1) What is HIV?

2) Whatis AIDS?

3) How doesthe HIV virus affect the immune system?

c) Explain the following facts (the text below is written as thoughJ spoken directly to the group):

i. What does AIDS stand for?

A Acquired:something you are given or get

I Immune: refers to the part of the body that keeps ushealthy .

• 0 Deficiency: lacking or not enough

5 Syndrome:a group of diseases

ii. What is AIDS?

AcquiredImmune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS) is a groupof infections and diseases that occur because of abreakdown in the body's immune system. The immunesystem is the bodily system that fights offdiseases andinfections.

iii . What does HIVstand for?

H Human: a person's body

I Immunodeficiency: when the immune system lackssome elements and breaks down

V Virus:a group of tiny cells that multiply in the body andcause diseases like Chicken Pox.

iv. What is HIV?

The Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) is a virus thatenters a person's body. (UWe will talk about how it entersthe person's body in a little while, I am just tel1ing youwhat happens when it enters the body.") When the HIVvirus enters a person's body, it multiplies and attackstheimmune system. The immune system is the part of thebody that protectsus from infections like the common

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cold. The reason why the HIVvirus isso harmful is that theHIV virus kif/seeUs i n the immu ne system that protect usfrom infections. When this happens, the body is leftweakened and we are more likely to become sick frominfecti ons and cancers.

v. What is the difference between HIV and AIDS?

HIV does not equal AIDS. AIDS is a disease. HIV is a virusthat causes AIDS. Adisease is a sickness that occurswhenthe body functions breakdown. Diseases areoften causedby tiny viruses. Avirus is a group of tinycells that multiplyin the body. The virus that causes AIDS is called HIV.

vi. What causes AIDS?

AIDS is caused bythe HIVvirus, the HIVvirus causes agroup of infections and cancers. When a pe rson developsthis group of infections, they are said to have AIDS.(Review "The Icebergof HIV lnfecticn" handout.)

Sowhile a healthy person who is infected with a common. cold virus might just get a runny nose, someone with AIDS

who getsa cold might develop pneumonia because theirimmune system is much weaker. When a person withAIDS develops pneumonia, it can be life threatening.

vii. What type of diseases do people with AIDSget?

The most common AlOS diseases are opportunisticinfections. These infections work somewhat like a thiefwho finds an open door at Circuit City. When the body isnot healthy, infections move throughout the body freely.Tuberculosis, pneumonia and some cancers are commonwhen people get AIDS.

Additionally, people who have AIDS lose a lot of weight,have difficulty remembering things and have a hard timedoing simple tasks.

viii. Can AIDSbe cured?

People who develop AIDS cannot be cured. AIDSisserious disease that African-American women die from.

ix. Can you tell if someone has AIDS?

You cannottelJ just by looking at a person if they haveAIDS.

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x. Who gets AIDS?

AIDS is not just a disease of gay white men. It can happento anybody, including African·American women, who dothings to put themselves at risk for getting the disease.

xi. How long is it from when people become infected with theHIVvirus to the time that they develop AIDS?

When the HIV virus e nters the body, it does notimmediately attack the immu ne system. The virus may notmultiply in the body for a long while. The virus may stay inthe body for as little as one month to more than ten yearsbefore AIDS develops.

xii. How does a person get the HIVvirus?

There are a lot of rumorsabout how you can becomeinfected wi th the HIV virus. The HIV vi rus requi res thetransfer of blood, semen, or vaginal fluids. This occursthrough the following ways:

~Havi ng sex without a condom;

~Shari ng "works," that is, injecting drugs with needlesinto your skin and shari ng the needle with someone.

xiii. Can you tell if someone has the HIVvirus?

No. People who have the HIVvirus often appear perfectlyhealthy. One good example is Magic Johnson. He has theHIV virus yet he continued to be able to playprofessionalbasketball after his diagnosis.

xiv. Can a mother who is infected with the HIVvirus give it toher unborn child?

Yes. A mother may give the virus to her child throughpregnancy, delivery (childbirth) and breast-feeding.

xv. Can you get the HIVvirus any other way?

No. You can not contract the HIVvirusfrom coughing,drinking fountains, sinks, shaking hands, eating utensils,sneezing, toilet seats, touching, or towels.

xvi. How do you know ifyou have the HIV virus?

There is a test you can take called the HIVAntibody Test..

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VI. The Card Swap Game

Inform the women that this exercise will help them understand howpeople get HIV and spread it to other people.

a) Pass out four cards to each woman (including SISTA staff). Eachwoman can receive any com bination of co lors.

b) Ask the women to write their nameson all four of thecards.

c) Tell the women that when you say, uSWAP," everyonewill find apartner and trade one card. Make it dear that they should onlygive away cards that have their own names on them.

d) Have everyone stand up.

i. 00 fou r roundsof SWAPS, telling them to find a newpartner for each SWAP~

Ii. After all the swapping. have the women sit back down.

e) Explain to them that each card color represents somethingthey've chose n to do.

Card Color Associated Behavior

Red Sharing dirty needles

Green Safersex-sex usinga condom

Pink Unsafe sex

Yellow Touching. kissing or talking

f) Tell the women that for the purposes of the game, you were HIVpositive at the beginningof the swap.

g) Read the names on any red or pink cards you are holding.

h) Ask the women whose names were called to stand.

l. Ask them to remain standing.

ii. Tell the group:

"These peoplewho just stood up were also infected withthe AIDS virusbecause they shared dirty needles (red cards)or had unsafe sex (pink cards) with people who have theHIVvirus."

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i) Have all the standing women read the names from their red andpinkcards.

i. Askthe women whose names were called to stand.

j) Ask the women standingto read their red and pink names a thirdtime. Bynow, most of the room will probably be stand ing.

i. If anyone is leftsitting, askthem to look at their cards.

k) Explain the color code system to the still-seated women:

"lf you have a red or pinkcard, they should only be from peoplewho are alsositting. This means that you had unsafe sex orshared needles with someone who was not HIV-infected. So itwas a gamble, but you were not infected.

Ifyou have green cards from any of the standing women, thatmeans that you had SAFER SEX with an HIV-infected person. It ismost likely that you weren't infected with HIV, as long as youwere careful not to exchange anysemen, blood or vaginal fluids.This means usinga condom correctly from start to fi nish ofvaginal, oral or anal intercourse with men.

Green cards from other sitting women mean safer sexwithaperson who was never exposed to HIV. Both of you are safefrom AIDS this time.

Yellow cards mean that you didn't have sex or share needles atall with your partner. You talked, hugged, kissed, held hands, atelunch, and rode the bus or whatever. Either partner could beinfected with HIV, but you would not infect the other person byexchanging a yellow card."

I) Ask the following questions to begindiscussion:

-.: ....:

Whatcouldyou have done differently to avoid being exposed toHIV?

~~ Iv. How did you feel about your partner?-::{'-.' v.

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i.i,' i. Whatare the ways that you can become infected with HIV? ~;?:1 u, Were there any ways you could tell that the person you swapped t

;I withwas HIV-infected? ~

:; iii. How did you feel when youfound out that youwere infected? /~ ~

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-Session 2 ; HIV/ AIDS Education

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THE SISTA PROJECTFacilitators Manuel

VII. Video: It's Like This...

a) Show the video to the group (it is approximately 30 minutes long.

b) Afte r the video, begin a guided discussion.

I. What did they like best/least about the video? Why?

ii, What new information did they learn?

iii . How might they incorporate thi s new information (ordeb unked myths) into t~e i r lives?

VIII. Homework

There are two assignments for this session's homework.

a) Ask the wom en to read the "Myths and Miscon ceptions"handout carefully.

b) Then have them take the HIV/AIDS Know ledge Test.

IX. Evaluation

a) Distribute Session 2 evaluation sheets to all participants.

1. This session will be evaluated as to how the information waspresented and the extent to which the sessionaccomplished its goals and objectives.

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x. Closure

a) Recitation of the M otto:

THE 51STA PROJECf Mollo

SISTA Love is Strong,

SISTA Love is Safe,

SISTA Love isSurviving!

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