AIDs Training Day

Yesterday we had a whole day seminar about AIDs prevention and education in Rwanda. As with most things that Peace Corps does the whole event felt a lot like a bad convention. We spent an hour writing our goals for the seminar and presenting them to each other and then deciding at what later event we would actually discuss them. Additionally, 10 local children were present to learn about AIDs as well, despite the fact that the level of English all day was well above their level. I am told that they were required to be there because the event was funded by PEPFAR money (the President’s Emergency Action Plan for AIDs Relief). After we wasted another hour introducing all 50 Peace Corps trainees and staff in the room to the ten students who would never remember all our names the educational portion of the day finally started – after a 20 minute break that is.

            A Rwandan doctor from a local AIDs clinic gave a typical Rwandan speech on that matter – and by typical I mean exceedingly long. And tedious. However, he did do a good job of breaking down the topic into English simple enough for the students to understand. But as always, most of the benefit was lost because he chose to focus on completely useless and obscure details of the disease instead of useful preventative or treatment measures.

            Sometimes its incredibly difficult to sit through sessions led by Rwandan locals because I feel like nothing is accomplished. So much time is spent in the formalities of hierarchy that a lot of time simply goes to waste. After which the person speaking usually is ill-prepared or chooses to talk about things which are related but not exactly relevant to the discussion. For example, the AIDs day speaker had a long list of acronyms used in relation to AIDs and HIV which he spent an hour systematically going through and explaining instead of talking about how the disease actually functioned.

            The day finally got productive when 8 volunteers led short sessions on the transmission, cycle, stigma, and myths concerning AIDS and HIV. Although the students were clearly uncomfortable participating in the discussions while 50 or so foreigners looked on, I hope they took something useful away from the lessons. There was one amusing moment when were talking about what is the difference between a good and bad relationships and someone said a good relationship is one which “smells good.” Senses are often confusing to Rwandans because the verb “Kumva” means to smell, to listen, to feel, to hear, to look, and to pay attention. Thus when converting to English there is often confusion about which sense to choose.