Condom demos for everyone!

Well, everyone, I think I’ve found my calling. It is involves a government-issue penis model.

I gave my first life skills class/condom demonstration yesterday, and I had a fantastic time doing so. It was my tutor’s class at the high school. She was in an all-day workshop, which meant I faced 45 form 4 students (think juniors in high school, though ages tend to vary widely) on my own.

We started with some discussion of HIV in Swaziland. The 2007 Demographic and Health Survey put the prevalence at 26 percent among Swazis ages 15 to 49. It is 19 percent among Swazis 2 and older. The numbers are higher among females; 22 percent are infected. Fifteen percent of males are infected. Perhaps the most disturbing statistics relate to age groups. In 2007, 49 percent of women ages 25 to 29 were infected. Of men ages 30 to 39, 45 percent were infected. 

In 2010, 40 percent of pregnant women were HIV-positive.

So that’s what we’re looking at.

The students and I talked of those numbers and then spoke about how HIV is spread. Here we were able to dispel some myths. One student thought HIV was spread through deep kissing, which isn’t the case.

Then came the fun part.

The U.S. government has been kind enough to issue us condom demonstration models. (We only have the male model; the female is too expensive to give to every volunteer.) The penis model is black and circumcised, to answer your burning questions.

The model comes in an innocuous zippered pouch.

“What do you guys think is in here?” I asked, stealing a line from Walker’s demonstration spiel.

“Sweets!”

“Money!”

“No,” I said, unzipping the bag. I brandished the model with a flourish. The reaction was immediate. The kids thought it was completely hilarious. And it is.

So I went through the demo and then had some of the kids try it themselves. It was a lot of fun. I also tried to explain how the condom process is different with an uncircumcised penis. Only 23 percent of Swazi males are circumcised, despite a huge campaign to encourage adult and infant circumcision.

Oh, and don’t worry — I did tell them that abstinence was the only way to completely avoid contracting HIV from a partner.

We went on to Q-and-A from there. I got some interesting ones.

“Can you get HIV from using the same toothbrush?”

“If you wash the penis after sex, can you avoid HIV?”

“How long does HIV live in blood after it’s outside the body?” (I didn’t know.)

“Are there very small condoms? Because there are young boys having sex.”

“Is there a cure for AIDS in America?”

“Where does HIV come from?”

We talked about other sexually transmitted infections as well.

I suppose my biggest regret of the class is that the girls didn’t participate at all. I invited them to, but I didn’t want to pressure anyone who might feel uncomfortable. This, I think, is why the girls empowerment clubs are important in the SWZ. The girls often step aside when the boys are around. My tutor confirmed this later, suggesting that the girls wouldn’t think it appropriate to talk about condoms, HIV or sexual issues. It was interesting.

On the whole, though, it was an excellent experience. I’ll do a post-test next week to see whether they retained the information. At any rate, I’m looking forward to many more condom demonstrations in my future!