1. Introduction and reflect

Introduce the topic and ask a few students to share their lessons learned of the previous lesson, including homework.

2. Warming up: Bodyguards and Kings (5 min)

Materials

None

Aims

1. Students experience through playing a game the need for protection (a condom) against bacteria or viruses entering your body.

How

1. Form a circle and make groups of 5. One person will act as Queen or King, 3 others as bodyguard and the last person, the strongest one, as the intruder.
2. The Queen/King is surrounded by bodyguards and the intruder tries to enter and break the chain of the body guards.
3. The intruder tries and does not succeed. The bodyguards ask for extra friends that can help them to keep the intruder away from the Queen or King.
4. Stop the game once it has become clear that the more friends the body guards have, the smaller the chances for the intruder to get in (after about 2 minutes).
5. Reflect on the activity by asking the following questions:
   1. How does the game relate to STIs and HIV? Make sure the following is included in the discussion: - The Queen/King is our body
      - Intruders: Infections and other illnesses are caused by germs, viruses or bacteria, which are like intruders that invade our body (the Queen/ King) and can make us sick in the long term when no treatment is used.
      - Bodyguards are our white blood cells which help us to fight these germs and bacteria.
      - Friends are for example condoms as extra protection to keep viruses and bacteria out of our body. There are viruses and bacteria (intruders) that can be passed on from one person to another during sexual activities like oral sex and sexual intercourse.
      
   2. What is the term for infections that are passed on through sexual activities?
      (Answer: Sexually Transmitted Infections (abbreviation is STIs) which include HIV).
      
   3. How can you protect your body against STI infections including HIV?
      

      Answer:

      - always having safe sex by using condom for intercourse;
      - by having no sex (abstaining);
      - by doing sexual activities that are safe for STIs

Wrap up

Viruses and bacteria that cause sexually transmitted infections are like intruders that invade our body and make us sick over the long term when no treatment is used. White blood cells function like bodyguards, that try to protect you against sexually transmitted infections, including HIV. Friends can be called in, like a condom, to help your body to be better protected against sexually transmitted infections.

3. Presentation: Be smart - be safe! (25 min)

Materials

Presentation: Be smart - be safe!
In this presentation you will find a few links to:
- A factsheet ‘Most prevalent STI’s’
- Safe Sex Quiz Game

Aims

1. Students get to know basic facts about STIs
2. They explore which (sexual) acts are safe and which are unsafe by playing a game
3. They reflect on the different strategies to prevent STIs, the need for testing, where to find help in the case of an infection and are encouraged to make a choice on how to best protect themselves and their partner(s).

How

1. Students sit in pairs or in small groups of 4 to 6 behind one computer. Students read the presentation and address the discussion points included in the presentation with a class mate before continuing.
2. The presentation covers the following topics:
   - The emotional changes during puberty (e.g. experiencing mixed feelings, feeling sensitive, having mood swings, intense emotions, unfamiliar feelings like sexual feelings).
   - The relational changes during puberty (e.g. change in dynamics with parents due to search for identity and autonomy, friends and peers becoming more important).

Wrap Up

Consensual, safe and enjoyable sex protects both you and your partner from STIs including HIV and unintended pregnancy.

If you are not ready to be sexually active, choose the safest option A which means Abstinence. Alternatively, you could choose option D which involves Different sexual acts as alternatives for sexual intercourse.

Before having sex or if something goes wrong and you do have unsafe sex, make sure you and your partner go for STI and HIV testing and if infected, get the treatment you need.

4. Why and how to use a condom

Materials

Presentation: Why and how to use a condom

Aims

1. Students learn how to use a male and female condom correctly. This is preparation for when they decide become sexually active.
2. They are encouraged to think about strategies (including arguments) to choose themselves and to persuade a partner to use a condom correctly and consistently once sexually active.

How

1. Ask students to read the presentation and address the discussion points included in the presentation before continuing with the next slide.
2. The topics that are covered in the presentation are:
   - Reasons why to use condoms?
   - Where can you get condoms?
   - Where to keep or store condoms?
   - Instructions on how to use a male and female condom correctly.
   
3. Reflect on the following discussion points as found in the presentation, in a plenary session:
   - Places where to get male and female condoms in your own community.
   - How would you feel if you were thinking about the risk of an STI or unintended pregnancy? Is this different for boys and girls?
   - Having read the experiences of peers using condoms, what else is good about using a male and a female condom?
   
4. When time, you can decide to add an actual condom demonstration. You can do this by having a real life demonstration. See teacher tips. This will add about 20 minutes extra to your program.

Teacher tips I:

Some teachers may feel hesitant to talk about condom use, or to even have a condom demonstration in their class. They are afraid that talking about condoms may encourage students to have actual sex.

But did you know this is a global misunderstanding? Teaching sexuality education and specifically teaching about condoms DOES NOT promote sex to students. On the contrary, it helps them to make better and more healthy, healthier decisions, many times by not having sex at all. And when they do, they protect themselves better!

Much research has been done on this. Countries where young people receive comprehensive sexuality education, including condom demonstrations, have lower rates of teenage pregnancy, abortion and STIs

Teacher tips II – condom demonstration

Most effective in HIV prevention is a real demonstration of putting on a condom, after which students practise with that themselves. However, this optional activity may be very sensitive to you or to your school. But taking into account the high numbers of young people being sexually active, and getting infected with HIV/AIDS in Malawi, acquiring skills in using a condom can be life-saving.

It is recommended to discuss with school administration and/or staff in advance whether you will do this optional activity. When a demonstration by yourself meets with too many barriers, you might invite a host teacher to do this instruction. This can be a nurse or, doctor, or someone from an HIV-prevention programme, who also can answer students’ questions.

As a preparation for the demonstration, watch the video-clip

When doing the demonstration, use a banana or another suitable object with the shape of a penis, and follow the instructions as mentioned in the presentation: *opening the package, * placing the condom on the top of the penis, *rolling the condom down, keeping the tip of the condom vacuum, *withdraw when the penis is still erect and * dispose of the condom*.

Very important pointers:
- First check the expiration date
- Always keep the tip of the condom squeezed, so no air gets in, when rolling down the condom
- Also show how to remove the condom: holding the condom at the base when pulling the penis out (otherwise it might slip off)
- Depending on the class, you may decide to invite one or more brave, male students to do this demonstration.
- Most effective will be, if you have more condoms available, to let the boys and girls exercise condom use in class using their class mates’classmates’ fingers.
- In addition to this demonstration, discuss how students can overcome embarrassment in buying condoms and how they should carry and store them. Please stress that having condoms available and using condoms is a sign of care and the responsibility of both partners.

Wrap up

The only way you can have sexual intercourse and be protected from STIs and HIV is by using a condom correctly every time you have sex. Or alternatively, you and your partner are both 100% faithful and before becoming sexually active together, both partners go for an STI and HIV test.

This presentation showed the essential steps to follow to make sure you use a condom correctly to ensure optimal protection. As there is high prevalence of HIV in Malawi, these steps should be known to all of today’s young generation in Malawi.

5. Do: Ways to talk about sex (25 min)

Materials

Tipsheet 'Ways to talk about sex' for each student or for each group.

Aim

1. Students get used to talking with their peers about options to have safe sex.
2. Students practice skills in how to refuse unsafe sex and negotiate with a potential partner about using condoms.

How

1. Ask every student to read the factsheet on ‘Ways to talk about sex’. These guidelines will assist students in learning to negotiate about having sex or not, and condom use. The factsheet also provides students with special tips on what to say when the other doesn’t want to use condoms.
2. Divide students up in pairs. Each pair practises the negotiation skills in a brief role play, using the 4 guidelines from the factsheet.
3. The story to be role played: A girl and a boy are on a date. One of them wishes to have unsafe sex with the other. But the other only wants to have safe sex or no sex at all.
4. Students have 3 minutes each to practice their negotiation skills, based on the tipsheet. After 3 minutes students switch roles.
5. When all pairs have completed their role-play, reflect on it in a plenary session and ask a few students to demonstrate the negotiation skills in class. Lead the class discussion with the following questions:
   - Which parts of the negotiation process worked well? Why?
   - Which parts were less effective? Why?
   - Are there different challenges for boys and for girls and vice versa?
   - How could we deal with these challenges?

Teacher Tips

1. During this activity keep in mind that it could be challenging for students, especially for girls, to negotiate about sex and the use of condoms. Explore reasons why this could be challenging (e.g. taboo, religion, stereotypical gender roles) and how these challenges could be addressed.
2. Ensure that during the role play both boys and girls get the opportunity to share their wishes and limits with regard to abstinence, sex and condom use and that this is done respectfully.

Wrap Up

You have the right to say NO to sex, or to demand using a condom (male or female) to protect yourself and your partner against STIs, HIV and pregnancy. Talking about sex and the use of condoms can be quite difficult sometimes, but there are tips that can help you. You know these tips now; use them and share them with peers who face challenges with refusing sex and negotiating safe sex

6. Lesson wrap up (5 min)

Ask students to choose their own option from ABCDEF+ that is most fitting for them and invite them to write in their Top Tip Peer Book the reasons why they choose for this option. They can look at the example for inspiration. If 5 minutes is too short, ask students to finish this activity at home as homework.

Conclude the lesson with:
'Sexuality is a wonderful part of human life. Abstaining from sexual contact or sexual intercourse is a very safe way to prevent the negative consequences of sex. But, when being sexually active it is important that both partners agree to it, enjoy it and ensure that it is done in a safe way. Sexuality is about intimacy, love, pleasure and safety and should not be regretted afterwards.

7. Homework

Invite students to write in their Top Tip Peer Book the reasons for their own option from ABCDEF+, best fitting with them