Two teachers die each day in Malawi as a result of HIV/AIDS, according to the National Teacher Training HIV Baseline Survey Malawi. The shortage of teachers means school classes contain up to 200 children.

The British Council and Theatre for a Change have launched a training programme to help change these shocking statistics. The programme shows teachers how to protect themselves from HIV infection and how to use child-centred approaches to HIV prevention with their pupils.

Theatre for a Change (TfaC) is a UK-registered charity organisation that uses theatre to create   a platform for young people to explore their experiences, especially around sex, gender and power, and to make interactive theatre performances out of their stories.

According to TfaC website the performances are then shown to the local community, on the beach, in the market and in schools.

‘When they have seen the show, audiences are invited in to the acting area to show how they think the characters’ behaviour could be changed for a more positive outcome to the story. It’s a rehearsal for reality, and a form that the communities have made their own.’

The British Council’s Theatre for a Change programme manager, Andrew Stevenson, says the partnership between the organisations enables the British Council to reach a wider audience in Malawi.

‘It also helps to empower young people to transform their communities and those are the people that we wouldn’t normally reach.

‘It gives young people skills that will enable them to be aware of the consequences of HIV/AIDS and this helps with prevention of the disease,’ says Stevenson.

Stevenson adds that the partnership with TfaC complements the British Council’s programmes such as Dreams and Teams, Connecting Classrooms and Global School Partnerships as they share strategic objectives.

The international director for TfaC in Malawi, Patrick Young, says TfaC was launched in Ghana as a pilot project in 2003 and moved into Malawi in 2006.

‘We partnered with the British Council in 2007 and with the project we have increased the quality of teaching and taught teachers about HIV prevention. Furthermore we have taught teachers how to facilitate lessons about the prevention of HIV.’

Young says Theatre for a Change trains facilitators who have experience in teaching and have knowledge of HIV.

‘We choose people [teachers] who are committed, dynamic, people who can engage in facilitation with their peers.’

Young says the response has been excellent and they would like to expand the partnership to other parts of sub-Saharan Africa.

‘The methodology has exceeded our expectations. When it was first established we were not sure of what impact it would have on society. We have worked with over 5 000 teachers since we started in Malawi. We have conducted surveys and feedback sessions and the feedback has been positive.

‘It’s been uniquely successful in bringing about behavioural change,’ says Young.

Marc Jessel, Director British Council Malawi, says the organisation decided to partner with Theatre for a Change because it wanted to be relevant in Malawi.

‘We could not ignore the impact that HIV had on Malawian teachers. In Malawi 2 teachers die each day from HIV/AIDS and our education system takes a huge knock. This partnership enables us to equip teachers to deal with the issue effectively in schools.’

Jessel says the theatre methodology has been proven to bring about behavioural change in teachers themselves.

‘This partnership is about acknowledging the fact that HIV/AIDS has a great impact on society and something needs to be done about it. It’s about telling young people that they can avoid contracting HIV/AIDS.’

For him, being part of the British Council means being involved in transforming the lives of other people for the better.

‘Being at the helm of this organisation in Malawi is a great privilege – being able to respond to the needs of people.’

Jessel adds that he sees the potential to scale up this project to other parts of Africa where the HIV infection rate is high.

‘Theatre for a Change is a learner-centred methodology and we want to expand it beyond Malawi.’

Daniel Attrams, a TfaC participant in Malawi, says that before he joined the programme he did not see his wife as his equal, but now he gives her maximum support.

‘This is due to the training that I received and am still receiving from TfaC. I no longer take unilateral decisions on issues concerning the home.’

To find out more about Theatre for a Change in Malawi click here. For more information on the National Teacher Baseline Survey, click here. To watch TfaC videos in Malawi click here. To read more about British Council events and programmes please visit this page. Read our latest news here: News in Africa section.