One of the places I’ve been working recently is St. Paul’s Lutheran High School at Pausa.

Here we are at the entrance.

Somehow the guard house reminds me of my high school years.

But this high school does look a bit different than mine.

One of the classroom buildings. In each building there are two classrooms and each classroom can hold about 50 students.

Looking over the fence to the primary school.

Every Monday and Wednesday afternoon the kids have work detail. No janitors or landscape staff here.

Everyone just brings their shovels and gets to work.

Two friends chatting while they go about their work.

Some of the teachers on the Pemon Committee. This committee was formed to ensure that HIV education is taught in and outside of the classroom.

At the request of the Pemon Committee, Julie, Liz and I organized a Saturday workshop for some of the teachers. Here’s some of the posters we brought.

And some more resources.

We also brought some members of UTB with us.

Pricilla, Agnes, Judy, Diane and Liz hanging out before the workshop starts.

Joe, Win, and Elizha

Finally, after several hours of waiting, the workshop begins. I start with a devotion and then give a basic overview of the HIV crisis in PNG.

For the rest of the morning, Liz teachers the basics of HIV (what is it, how is it prevented, how is it treated, etc.)

Elizha also takes his turn as he shares how one can be tested for HIV and what that process entails.

helps by performing a skit on what happens to the body when it is infected by HIV.

Then it’s lunchtime. Liz gets some well-deserved rest, while the rest of the girls of UTB are eating and being goofy :-)

After lunch Julie talks about all the different issues that come into HIV education and how each one can fit into the curriculum.

The teachers listen intently (I’m also busy jotting down some ideas about how I might be able to help the teachers this year)

It’s a sobering thought that without HIV education, their students may not live long enough to really get the opportunity to use their education.

For the last hour, the teachers begin lesson plans for how they are going to incorporate HIV into their lesson plans and then share their thoughts.