ukimwi

HIV/AIDS is an immense problem in many African countries and among African youth. Since sexual education is in general not taught in schools and talking about sex related issues is a significant taboo, a digital learning environment can serve as an important tool in the fight against HIV/AIDS. Sura ya ukimwi , in Swahili for the face of AIDS, is a digital learning environment developed for educating about the HIV/AIDS effectively. The Sura ya UKIMWI environment is built upon real life stories of people infected with HIV/AIDS. It has been shown that young people are in general familiar with STIs (sexually transmitted infections), including HIV/AIDS, but the quality and depth of their knowledge varies and misconceptions persist. There is still a need to educate young people on the ways that HIV is (and is not) transmitted, consequences of untreated STIs, attitudes towards people living with HIV and that people may have HIV without showing any physical symptoms. The platform is especially designed for Secondary School students in the Southern highlands of Tanzania, specifically the Iringa region. The the Iringa region, Tanzania has one of the highest HIV/AIDS prevalence rates 15,7% compared to 7% (2009)for the rest of the country. To make relevant material for the target group, secondary school students from six different schools in Iringa have been actively involved in the development of the platform.