The Pamoja Project focuses on teaching and raising awareness of HIV/AIDS for community members and schoolchildren. Most of your time will be spent teaching, lesson planning, and training peer educators. You will also be involved in community assessment work within villages.
Peer to peer learning has proven to be an effective model for behavior change communication among adolescents. Peer education is a particularly powerful method for reaching young people. This educational program targets both government and private primary and secondary schools. Educators are nominated and elected by teachers and fellow students, and they are among the brightest, most outgoing students in their class.
Volunteers and program officers provide training for peer leaders, and a three day seminar for peer education teachers. Our partner and field officers stay in touch with schools and different community project stakeholders – helping peer educators organize special events such as sports days, exchange learning visits, and competitions within and among schools.
These students use dynamic education techniques such as songs, drama, debates, and poetry to engage other youths and encourage them to think critically so they can choose behaviors that lower their risk of getting HIV / AIDS. This requires that we teach the basic biological facts about the virus, the progression of the disease in the body, the primary modes of transmission, and the most effective methods of prevention. Volunteers participating in this project will have to count with extra transportation expenses.
