"In the developing world, HIV/AIDS kills teachers faster than they can be trained, makes orphans of students, and threatens to derail efforts by highly affected countries to get all girls and boys in school by 2015 - one of the key development goals of the international community. And yet, a good basic education ranks among the most effective, and cost-effective means of preventing HIV. It is a cruel paradox that children of school age have the lowest prevalence of infection, but that HIV/AIDS is destroying the ability of countries to deliver the 'social vaccine' that can give them a chance to live a life free of AIDS (see UNESCO's/UNICEF's Education For All [EFA] initiative)." - Blunting The Spread of HIV/AIDS - DevNews Media Center

Stated simply, HIV/AIDS and education are entangled in a cyclical relationship. HIV/AIDS negatively impacts the availability and quality of education, while at the same time, education positively impacts the restriction of the spread of HIV/AIDS (and is believed to be the #1 tool in the fight against HIV/AIDS). And yet, though the reality of the HIV/AIDS epidemic can be shocking and sad, there is hope, especially with organizations such as Deep Roots making education a possibility for many young students with little recourse - organizations that understand the importance of, and the hardships related to, education in developing countries.

The Problem

Currently, there are 13 million orphaned children due to HIV/AIDS worldwide, and 30% of people living with HIV/AIDS are under the age of 24. This reality has negative consequences on education. Many families dealing with HIV/AIDS can no longer afford the cost of schooling, as the main breadwinners fall ill or die. Often, adults see little value in investing in education for their children when the future seems bleak. In Swaziland, for example, school enrollment has dropped 36% as a result of AIDS. Girls are especially affected, as they are withdrawn from school first in response to the rising household expenditures on health care and the necessity for them to become caretakers. In general, a community hit hard by HIV/AIDS lacks the necessary resources for education, and the quality of education suffers due to teacher absenteeism (having fallen ill themselves, or having to leave to take care of family-members) and the disruption of the classroom. The number of available teachers falls dramatically during an HIV/AIDS epidemic. In Zambia for example, the number of teacher deaths caused by AIDS is equivalent to about half the total number of new teachers trained each year.

"The HIV/AIDS pandemic threatens the infrastructure of education, taking the lives of policy makers, teachers, and administrators, and causing untold suffering for children and their families." - "HIV/AIDS & education - A Strategic Approach" by the International Institute for Educational Planning/UNESCO

There Is Hope

In areas where HIV/AIDS is so pervasive, education can be an incredibly powerful tool in stopping it. There is much evidence pointing to the reality that girls who stay longer in school and receive education on life skills and sexuality benefit from delayed sexual debut, increased HIV prevention knowledge, increased condom use rates among those already sexually active, and improved understanding of HIV testing. Education offers a measure of protection against HIV/AIDS and reduces the risk and vulnerability by giving information and teaching skills that promote wellbeing, providing access to trusted adults, and increasing literacy. If a child or young adult does not know how the disease is transmitted, she or he cannot take active steps to avoid it. Similarly, education fosters attitudes of respect for human rights and dispels harmful myths, especially those that affect girls, such as "having sex with a virgin will cure HIV/AIDS."

What Deep Roots Is Doing

As Deep Roots is an education-focused organization, it helps in numerous ways in the fight against HIV/AIDS, and in the fight to make sure HIV/AIDS does not ruin the chances for all students to get a quality education. With its education initiative, Deep Roots is in essence on the front line of the war against HIV/AIDS. Vulnerability to HIV infection occurs when people are limited in their abilities to make and carry out free and informed decisions. Vulnerability is determined by economic factors such as poverty; education factors such as lack of good quality schooling, and contextual factors such as dominant gender roles and expectations. With its focus on girls' education, Deep Roots works to dispel myths about gender dominance and to support children who may not be able to get the financial assistance from their own families. Helping kids, and especially girls, go to school supplies them with the basic life tools necessary to make informed decisions about their own well-being and sexuality. Education teaches self-respect, staves off early entry into sexuality, increases condom use, and lessens dangerous drug use, especially injection-drug use. One student at a time, Deep Roots is affecting positive change in the fight against HIV/AIDS.