Just For Boys

A few weeks ago, Sarah and I did a mini-workshop for a few boys at my school. We called it "Just for Boys" we had a smashing time! We talked about Gender Based Violence, showed a STEPS Film and had a wonder powerpoint (with pictures) of STDs.

Gender Based Violence (GBV) is unfortunately pretty common in Botswana and very under reported. Most women truthfully, don't realize that they are experiencing GBV. We had a pretty interesting discussion surrounding the "roles" of men and women. The boys came to the conclusion, that in Botswana, it is a women's job to do the laundry. Then sighed heavily when Sarah and I broke the bad news that, no, we would not be marrying them b/c we expect our future husbands to do their own (shock! shock!). Apparently it is bad ju-ju for a man to do his ladies laundry on a regular basis (where do they get these things?) but, then the boys quickly said, that if their wife was sick they would help them out....

STEPS Films, STEPS films are amazing. Please go to www.steps.co.za for more information. We showed "Three and a Half Lives of Philip Wutu" an interactive film where you can pick Philip's fate as he navigates the tricky world of MCP and HIV....It was such a hit, I am showing it again in a few weeks!

Then we concluded the day with a Powerpoint on STIs...it was a big hit. I like to call it "shock and awe" because we included pictures on STIs gone bad....It brought up a great discussion, because the boy didn't know that some STIs are transmitted through skin to skin contact (HPV, Herpes). As we turned the lights on, Sarah and I noticed that many of the boys had cold sores on their lips. We specifically talked about cold sores and how one is at an increased risk for transmission of STIs and HIV...It was one of those humbling moments, because, most likely those boys with cold sores are HIV positive. We had to have a frank discussion with the boys about risks, but you don't want to point something out. These boys already face enough stigma.

Several times throughout the day, we emptied our Question Box and did a brief Q and A. One of the questions was "when am I ready for sex?" If this question was brought up to a teacher, the kid would have been shouted at "you are too young" but the reality of the situation is, these are 16 and 17 year old boys. So lets have a real discussion. Can you deal with the consequences-in Botswana HIV is a biggie (one of the many consequences) The boys were silent after our discussion, I think that this was the first time in their lives they heard a real answer to their questions.

A few days later,  a few of the boys came up to me and asked when our next talk was going to be! Something must have been hitting home...

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