indian26

So, lets talk about ABCD. Part of my job as a volunteer is to educate my students about HIV and AIDS. Even if it wasn't part of my job, I think HIV education is very important here and everywhere else in the world. I talk about ABCD with my students in English and Portuguese. Here is what it means:

A- Abstain (Do not have sex)
B- Be Faithful (Have one boyfriend or girlfriend only, do not have multiple partners)
C- Condoms (Use condoms every time you have sex)
D- Delay (Wait to have sex until you are older).

In my opinion, it is very unrealistic to just talk about abstinence with my students. So, I try to approach the topic as my students have four choices when it comes to sex: ABCD. I try to educate them about each option so that they can make the best decision for themselves. I tell them that having sex without a condom is not an option/risk that they should take.

Well, after talking about ABCD frequently last year and this year, I decided to actually see if my students knew how to use condoms properly. My sitemate from last year had a penis model made for condom demonstrations. So, I bought some condoms in the market and did a lesson on the correct way to use a condom.

I started off the lesson by introducing Mr. Condom. Mr. Condom is a figure made out of cardboard, shaped like a condom, with arms, legs, eyes, mouth, and nose. I posted a question to Mr. Condom on the board about why people should use condoms and the importance of ABCD. Then, I set the wooden penis on the desk and waited as all of my students laughed and joked with each other in Portuguese and their local languages. (Most of my students are between 14-19 years old.) Then, I called up one student to put the condom on the wooden penis correctly. Out of my five classes, three of the student volunteers could put the condom on correctly. Then, I passed the penis around so each student could see the condom on correctly.

Honestly, I was a little nervous the first time I did this lesson with my students. Condoms is not an easy topic to talk about, especially in a foreign language and with 45 teenagers staring at me. But, I think it was very important to do the demonstration so that my students know how to use a condom correctly.