This is a companion lesson to The Scope of the Problem (above). It, too, is from the National Geographic. The lesson focuses on why the disastrous numbers surrounding the AIDS epidemic in Africa exist. It asks students to explore what is being done, and what can be done, to ease the situation. During the lesson, students will identify cultural factors within Africa that underlie the scope of the AIDS epidemic there, discuss worldwide responses to the crisis in Africa, list evidence of attitudes and excuses in the world that explain these responses, and determine what could be done within Africa and in the outside world to ease the AIDS crisis in Africa.
Using statistics and other readings from both the Washington Post and the New York Times students will discuss the forces at work to make the situation as dire as it is. Students are asked to develop three worldwide goals and three goals for Africa to address the crisis.