Filling in the Blanks

"Tiebreak: name as many family planning methods as possible.  You only have one minute.  GO!"

Five teachers put their heads down with their pens racing.  Two teachers to my right are whispering.  "DISQUALIFICATION!  DISQUALIFICATION!" someone yells.  The two gossipers did not score high enough to participate in the tiebreak, so no one is disqualified, but thereafter, everyone remained silent.

"TIME!  Pens down!"  I walked around the circle of 13 primary school teachers collecting the tiebreak papers.  Quickly, I mark the submissions.  "And we have a winner with nine methods!"

Abstinence

Pills

Injections

IUDs

Contraceptive jelly

Vasectomy

Withdraw

Tubal Ligation

Condoms

The triumphant teacher approaches my desk to claim his prize: a Fanta soda.  The air under the mango tree is abuzz with excitement of competition, disappointment of losing, but above all else, curiosity.

Over the last four months, I have visited twelve schools to supervise the roll-out of my RUMPS program.  It was the perfect opportunity to reach out to the teachers, who are community leaders, often sought for advice and answers.  In order to get them engaged, I developed a simple questionnaire about family planning and HIV/AIDS, which is out of 26 points.  The teachers get about 10 minutes to fill it out, they switch papers, and we mark together.  The top scores are rewarded with airtime (minutes for a phone) or soda.

Initially, the science teachers boast that "they'll crush the paper," and that no one else has a chance.  The P1 teachers get nervous, and the Social Studies teachers swear if there were history questions, they would easily score the soda.  At every school, there is always one teacher who finally says, "This isn't just for science teachers.  It's common knowledge."  At that, everyone is ready.  Once the papers are passed out, I watch everyone's face morph from pride, to curiosity, to shock, to determination.  The teachers get insanely competitive, shielding their paper from everyone's eyes.  I always know when someone gets to number 11 or 16 because I hear a faint chuckle.

To everyone's surprise, it usually isn't the science teachers that score the highest.  Usually, it's the younger teachers who benefited from the HIV prevention programs in schools, the empowered female teachers who know the ins and outs of the health clinics and the headteachers, who attend public health workshops to ensure the health and safety of their pupils.  At my last school, the P6 and P7 science teachers were the ones with the lowest scores of the group.

Although the information on the questionnaire is necessary to make good decisions about preventing HIV and planning for a family, I have yet to award a perfect score.  Even the teachers that were trained at my RUMPS workshop struggle and do not always qualify for the top three scores!

Regardless, the questionnaire is only a jumping off point.  By being able to think about these extremely taboo issues privately while answering the questions, hearing the answers from me and marking together, the highly built conservative walls start to crumble.  After handing out the prizes, I sit back down and face the circle of teachers.  "Are there any questions about what we talked about today?"  Without a doubt, there always are.  And the questions are usually complicated, clouded with cultural beliefs and misconceptions.

Sample questions:

Why do women get their MPs (monthly periods)?
Why do some women produce many twins, while others never do?  (Having twins is an honor in Uganda)
Why do women bleed so much when they start (Depo) injections?
What causes an ectopic pregnancy?
Why are there programs encouraging male circumcision if it doesn't protect you from HIV?
Why do some women bleed during pregnancy?
What causes women to no longer want sex if they are on the pills?
Why isn't withdraw 100% effective?
What are hormones?
If they tell you to avoid kissing someone who is HIV positive, then why do you say that saliva doesn't transmit HIV? 
Don't condoms damage a man's urethra because the rubber blocks the fluid?
What are the benefits of masturbation?
What is an IUD?
Why are some babies born with deformities?
How do I use natural family planning?

At my first sessions, I struggled to answer the questions accurately and professionally.  I had done research to write our manual for teachers and to facilitate our workshop, but some of the questions were throwing me for a loop.  Some teachers refused to be convinced by my explanations!  I needed be absolutely sure, no wavering.  For my Kindle, I downloaded Our Bodies, Ourselves, a 900 page textbook for women's reproductive health.  And I started reading it cover to cover.  Even though sometimes I'm still blown away or stumped, I feel confident and comfortable answering most questions.  I may only spend their lunch break with them, but I hope that my little activity encourages men and women to take charge of their health, right the myths floating around and teach accurate information in school.


Interested in taking my quiz?

FILL IN THE BLANK

1.     What four fluids transmit HIV? [4 MARKS]

a)____________________________                        c)____________________________

b)____________________________                       d)____________________________

2.     Name three fluids that DO NOT transmit HIV. [3 MARKS]

a)____________________________                        c)____________________________

b)____________________________                 

3.     What are the ABCs of prevention in full? [3 MARKS]

A______________________________________

B______________________________________

C______________________________________

4.     Of the ABCs, what is the only method that is 100% effective? [1 MARK]

_______________________________________________

5.     Name two things that someone who is HIV positive needs. [2 MARKS]

a)________________________________________________________

                      

b)________________________________________________________

6.     What is the only method of knowing your or someone else’s HIV status? [1 MARK]

_____________________________________________________

­­­­­

7.     HIV attacks white blood cells.  What is the purpose of white blood cells? [1 MARK]

­___________________________________________________________

8.     Name one reason why women are more likely to contract HIV. [1 MARK]

___________________________________________________________

9.     What two things should you check before opening and using a condom? [2 MARKS]

a)________________________________________________________

                      

b)________________________________________________________

10.  In our region, where is the best place to dispose of a used condom? [1 MARK]

________________________________________________________

11.  What substance is in PilPlan and InjectaPlan that stops a woman’s body from releasing an egg every month? [1 MARK]

_________________________________________________________

TRUE/FALSE

Write TRUE or FALSE for each statement.  Each statement is worth 1 MARK.

12.  You cannot have HIV if you are a virgin.

________________________________

13.  You can still contract or transmit HIV if you use a condom.

________________________________

14.  Circumcised men cannot get HIV.

­­­­­­________________________________

15.  A woman using PilPlan only takes the pills on the days she has sex.

________________________________

16.  If the man removes his penis from the vagina before releasing his sperms (ejaculation), there is no chance of pregnancy.

________________________________

17.  The days that a woman is menstruating are considered “safe days.”

________________________________