Orphans and Vulnerable Children - CRIN

Activity 1: What are HIV and AIDS?

In this activity, you will:

 Define what HIV and AIDS are

 Explain the relationship between HIV and AIDS

Facilitator’s notes:

HIVstands for Human Immunodeficiency Virus.
HIV is a virus that causes AIDS. A virus is a very small organism that cannot be seen with the naked
human eye. The only way to be certain that a person is infected with HIV, is for them to be tested
for the virus. The HIV virus is spread through contact with an infected person’s body fluids, such as
semen, vaginal secretions and blood. Once inside the body, the virus attacks white blood cells.
White blood cells are responsible for defending an individual against infections in the body. If these
blood cells are attacked by the virus over a period of time, a person’s body will become weak and
they will become sick often. When a person’s immune or infection defence system becomes too
weak to fight off sicknesses because of the HIV, we say that the person has AIDS.

AIDS stands for Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome.
A person with AIDS has a very weak immune system so they get sick easily. They may suffer from
a number of different sicknesses, such as tuberculosis (TB), pneumonia, weight loss with diarrhoea
and vomiting, skin sores and infections.

For this activity you will need:

 Copies of Handout 1

 Flipchart and markers

To facilitate this activity:

1 Distribute Handout 1 to participants.

2 Explain to participants what HIV stands for, as outlined
on the handout. Give them a simplified explanation about
the role of white blood cells in defending the body from
infection. Explain that the HIV virus attacks white blood
cells, reducing their ability to defend against infection,
which means that people infected with HIV are more prone
to infection.

3 Use the picture on the handout to explain how the HIV virus
attacks the white blood cells, and that over time, the white
blood cells become weak and the HIV virus spreads in the body.

4 Then explain what AIDS stands for, using the handout.
Explain that the HIV virus causes AIDS and that AIDS is the
second stage of the disease, with a number of symptoms.

Activity 1

30 minutes

Guide to Mobilising and Strengthening Community-Led Care for Orphans and Vulnerable Children Unit 2, Module 1^99