Using adult education principles for HIV/AIDS awareness intervention strategies in Botswana

This paper reports on a mainly qualitative study into company strategies for HIV/AIDS information, education and communication (IEC) strategies in the Botswana workplace. The authors argue that HIV/AIDS awareness and prevention strategies in Botswana need a new approach. The research proposal hypothesized that IEC strategies need to take account of adult education theory that promotes the active involvement of learners in developing their own curriculum. It also proposed that an Africa-centric gender perspective should be incorporated into future IEC materials. That is, the particular cultural position of women and their vulnerability to HIV/AIDS infection in Botswana needs to be theorized as an issue of power. Integrated with this issue is the argument that it is not always appropriate to try to persuade women to take the initiative in preventing infection when culturally they have no power to do so. The paper therefore critiques some of the adult education and feminist arguments for empowerment that do not take account of existing male power positions within the Botswana social framework. Using new educational material that derived from the research findings the authors argue for a dual strategy towards behavioural change; one that takes account of the current health crisis, but also one which uses a radical pedagogical approach that engages with 'where people are at'.