Unfortunately the majority of pupils in South Africa don’t receive sex education and especially in schools where teachers are old and often not comfortable talking about sex.

The DFL Mvuso School and Community Education Pilot Project aims to help. Running from 9 July to 1 September, the project seeks to enhance the capacity of 12 community theatre practitioners and 10 school teachers from 10 selected schools in Soweto to address issues of sex, relationships and HIV and Aids through Applied Theatre and Drama. After a one-week intensive short course at Drama for Life (Wits University), the 22 facilitators will lead projects with children in their schools and communities that address above mentioned topics using the newly learned methodologies of Applied Theatre and Drama. In seven weeks they will produce a theatrical performance with the children participating in the project, which will be showcased at the annual Drama for Life’s Sex Actually Festival on 1 September.

The primary objective of the project is to catalyse dialogue, reflection and action around issues of HIV and AIDS infection and risk behaviours and simultaneously building compassionate community responses to the HIV and AIDS pandemic. The project aims to promote personal and interpersonal learning with the intention of bringing about positive behavioural change amongst the youth.

The training week is running from the 9 to 13 July, starting at 09:00 at the Goethe Institute. The final performances are scheduled for the 1 September, 10:00 at Power Park Sport and Recreation Hall in Soweto.

For further information, please visit www.dramaforlife.co.za, call 011 717 4734 or send an email to Odwa.Jenkins@wits.ac.za.