Sound of Silence: Difficulties in Communicating on HIV/AIDS in
Schools Published by Action Aid in March 2003, this report
studies the linkages between and importance of connecting
education and HIV/AIDS. Formal education is often assumed to
have significant influence on how people make informed decisions
about their health - including very important areas such as
sexual behaviour. With estimates of 11.8 million young people
aged 15 to 24 living with HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS, 2002) it is now
vital to understand better how educators are, and should be,
responding to the challenges posed by the epidemic. The
educational response to the HIV/AIDS epidemic is an important
aspect of ActionAid's work. Our underlying belief that every
person has the right to information on HIV has led to concern
that barriers or silences in communication around HIV/AIDS are
impeding efforts inthe classroom. This assertion is based upon
anecdotal evidence from some of our community partners, and
twenty years of experience in participatory empo