Date of Award

4-8-2012

Document Type

Thesis

First Advisor

Committee: Rebecca Upton

Second Advisor

Kevin Moore

Third Advisor

Alicia Suarez

Abstract

Despite continuous efforts from both local governments and foreign aid agencies, individual donors, and NGOs (Non-Governmental Organizations), HIV/AIDS rates of infection in Sub-Saharan Africa have not seen the overall decreases in recent years that would be expected based on the large amounts of money and support that have been given to this region. Though the reasons for this lack of decline are still heavily debated and in some ways, controversial, I will be approach this dilemma from the standpoint of an NGO in Lilongwe, Malawi, a country that has been slowly debilitated by HIV/AIDS in the last twenty years. Beginning with an overview of both HIV/AIDS and Malawi in general, followed by an in-depth literature review, I will address some of the arguments and approaches regarding the HIV/AIDS dilemma that have been discussed and employed during the last two decades. Then, I will provide a content analysis of a current HIV/AIDS educational curriculum employed by the NGO World Camp, located in the heart of Lilongwe, Malawi. Through the discussion of this content analysis I will argue that although well-intentioned, World Camp is the perfect example of a small NGO trying to help make a difference in the fight against AIDS that has gone awry due to a complexity of factors. I conclude that if restructured, the current World Camp curriculum could be adjusted to make a more sustainable difference. I reinforce this argument with references to some of the most thoughtful literature written about both HIV/AIDS and specifically, about Malawi's current state today. I believe that if

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