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| Immunology Class, 2013 |
My immunology class wants to thank you Teri for the supply of condoms you made available to them.
With some amount of trepidation, but with the encouragement of other Liberians my immunology lection on HIV and AIDS turned to prevention. With banana and condom, I demonstration how to properly put on a condom to the video recording of several smart phones.
A girl asked if I had any extra condoms which I had. I began to distribute one to a student. Bedlam quickly ensued as one was not enough. Soon my supply was gone as students swapped lubricated for non-lubricated and visa versa. The girls were most aggressive.
Next came the use of lubricants. Only water soluble lubricants I informed. No hand or body lotions. "Is spit ok?" a female asked. "Sure" I said.
The males countered with "what about female condoms?" "Not for HIV prevention" the ladies chimed in.
The noise level rose to such a level, that an instructor for the next room came over to ask us to be quieter.
Later that evening, two boys approached me asking if I had any more condoms. The word was out from friends who are my students. At my house, I gave them what was left, requesting hey be distributed between men and women.
I see a tremendous need for HIV education here coupled with the availability of a consistent supply condoms. Handing out a single condom is not enough. There is just no place for students to get them and they need them. There is little exposure to the real effects HIV can have on their lives.
It is unfortunate that in society there are force which deny the existance or frequency of this disease and also the perception that America is trying to blame its AIDS problems on Africans. The subject is highly charged but the problem is real.
Again, my students want to thank you, Teri.
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