HIV-AIDS in the Dominican Republic

By Liz Morrison

Liz Morrison is the coordinator of social studies for the Parkway School District located in west St. Louis County. In 2001, Liz was selected as the National Council for the Social Studies Secondary Teacher of the Year. Liz was the featured guest on Talk of the Nation in September 2002 regarding teaching 9/11 and other “hot topics” in public high schools. In addition, Liz Morrison’s work with controversial issues in the classroom was featured in the Annenberg program “Social Studies in Action.”

Overview

In this lesson, students will participate in a Socratic Seminar using the Palm Beach Post article to dialogue about the impact of AIDS in the Dominican Republic. The featured video on sex workers in the Dominican Republic will also be used to further the students’ understanding of the issues related to the AIDS crisis in the Caribbean, PEPFAR and the lack of information on the topic in the media.

Curriculum Standards (McRel)

• Civics: Standard 22. Understands how the world is organized politically into nationstates, how nation-states interact with one another, and issues surrounding U.S. foreign policy • Benchmark 2. Knows the most important means used by nation-states to interact with one another (e.g., trade, diplomacy, treaties and agreements, humanitarian aid, economic incentives and sanctions, military force and the threat of force) • Geography: Standard 1. Understands the characteristics and uses of maps, globes, and other geographic tools and technologies • Geography: Standard 6. Understands that culture and experience influence people’s perceptions of places and regions • Language Arts: Standard 10. Understands the characteristics and components of the media • Benchmark 12. Understands the role of the media in addressing social and cultural issues

Time Required

Two 45 minute class periods or one 90 minute block: building background knowledge (45 minutes) and Socratic Seminar (45 minutes)

Materials

• Article by Antigone Barton • AIDS in the Caribbean Map (http://hivinsite.ucsf.edu/global?page=cr02-00-00) • Time Line of PEPFAR (Additional Resources) • Map of the Caribbean (Additional Resources)

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The Lesson Student Preparation

1. Assign the Antigone Barton article on Boca Chica, Dominican Republic as homework prior to the class focusing on the article. 2. Have the students respond to the following questions:

1. What is the issue?



2. What other problems do the people face?



3. What is the role of the United States government? United States citizens?



4. Describe efforts to curb the crisis. Are they enough? Explain your thinking.



5. To what extent does the government of the United States have a responsibility to aid



the people of the area? Explain your response.



6. The story of the sex workers and AIDS is an underreported news story. Why?



7. Write a 3 – 5 sentence summary of the most important points you learned by reading



the article.

3. Teacher Note – the students will be using the article in the Socratic Seminar. The students should write their responses on the printed article and use a highlighter to indicate supporting evidence for their ideas.

Anticipatory Set

1. Write the word Caribbean on the board.

1. Have the students write down five words that come into their head when they hear



“Caribbean”



2. Write the responses on the board



3. Remind the students that the Dominican Republic is part of the Caribbean. Have the



students write down five words describing the Dominican Republic based on the article.



4. Write responses on the board



5. Discuss what the students notice about the responses

2. Distribute the blank maps of the Caribbean.

1. Ask the students to label the Dominican Republic.



2. Discuss what the students notice (e.g. proximity to the U.S., size, general location)



3. Project the information on HIV/AIDS on the screen and read to the students.

1. What additional information is included in the paragraph?



2. The source for the information is the World Bank. Do you consider the World



Procedures

Bank a non-biased source? Explain.

1. Note: For additional support in implementing the curriculum use the Socratic Seminar: http://www.studyguide.org/socratic_seminar.htm 2. Divide the class in half

1. Put the chairs into two circles (one circle surrounding the other circle)



2. Have half of the students sit in the inner circle and the other students sit in the seats



surrounding the circle



3. Refer to the handout “Guidelines for Participants in a Socratic Dialogue” and review



4. Explain the “hot seat” to the students – if you are seated in the outer circle and



would like to share a comment you can take the “hot seat” 2

3. Questions for discussion Group 1 1. What is the issue? 2. What other problems do the people face? 3. Define the role of the United States government in the crisis? United States citizens? 4. Describe efforts to curb the crisis. Are they enough? Explain your thinking. 5. To what extent does the government of the United States have a responsibility to

aid the people of the area? Explain your response.

4. Video Clip – show the video clip on sex workers to the class. 5. Change seating arrangement (Group 2 should be in the inner circle) Group 2 1. Is the Dominican Republic hindered or helped by the stereotype that it is a

vacationer’s island paradise? Explain your thinking. 2. To what extent is AIDS a health problem? To what extent is AIDS an economics



problem? 3. To what extent does the government of the United States have a responsibility to



aid the people of the area? Explain your response. 4. What impact did the video clip have on your opinion?

6. Write an “exit slip” with the answer to the following question (five to seven sentences) Why should we care about the AIDS crisis in the Dominican Republic?

Glossary Terms

AIDS – Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome PEPFAR – President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS bateyes – hostels for temporary workers MODEMU – Movimiento De Mujeres Unidoa: a Dominican organization that focuses its efforts on creating opportunities for women living with HIV/ AIDS in the Dominican Republic.

Extension Activities

1. Have the students research AIDS in the Caribbean. The focus of their research is “AIDS in the Caribbean. What does it mean? Why does it matter?” Web Resources 1. UNAIDS 2006 Report 2. Caribbean Regional Report 2. Multiple Perspectives: Assign the students “Caribbean: Health workers join forces to fight AIDS in the Caribbean” (May 2006) located under Caribbean Stories of Hope on the PEPFAR website 1. Answer the following questions a. How are the articles similar? b. How are the articles different? 2. Which article do you believe gives a more accurate portrayal of AIDS in Caribbean? Explain your response.

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Assessment Options

1. Letter Writing Campaign 1. The students will write a letter to their senator requesting either a. the United States take a larger role in the fight against AIDS in the Caribbean

OR b. the United States withdraw support for the fight against AIDS in the Caribbean

2. The letter needs to be in business format 2. Awareness Campaign 1. The students will create and post informational signs to increase their fellow

students’ knowledge of AIDS in the Caribbean 2. The sign should include a title, a picture, five supporting facts, be neat and include



the use of at least three colors 3. Differentiation – students can choose to create the flyer on the computer, create it



HIV/AIDS in the Caribbean

by hand, make an announcement on the PA system, etc.

The Caribbean region is second only to Sub-Saharan Africa in HIV prevalence with an estimated adult HIV prevalence rate of 2.3% in 2003. Approximately 430,000 adults and 23,000 children are living with HIV in the region. HIV/AIDS is the leading cause of death among adults in the 15-44 age group. The epidemic is not just a health problem, but a development and economic problem as it affects the most productive human resources and re-directs efforts from productive activities to HIV/AIDS treatment and care. If the prevalence of HIV in the Caribbean region continues to increase and maintains its negative effects on production and savings, per capita growth will significantly decline.

resources

• Global Health Facts from Kaiser Family Foundation http://www.globalhealthfacts.org/index.jsp http://www.globalhealthreporting.org/diseaseinfo.asp • UNAIDS 2006 Report http://www.unaids.org/en/HIV_data/2006GlobalReport/default.asp and Caribbean regional report http://www.unaids.org/en/Regions_Countries/Regions/Caribbean.asp • PEPFAR http://www.pepfar.gov/ • USAID Dominican Republic Country Profile http://www.usaid.gov/our_work/global_health/aids/Countries/lac/dominicanrep.html • Global gag rule impact project, dr page http://www.globalgagrule.org/country_dr.htm

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PEPFAR Timeline

• January 28, 2003: President Bush delivers his State of the Union, in which he announces the Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), a five-year, $15 billion initiative. • March 17, 2003: Legislation authorizing the President’s initiative is introduced in the House (HR1298). • May 27, 2003: PEPFAR authorizing legislation passed and became Public Law No: 108-25. • February 23, 2004: “The Five-Year Strategy for the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief” outlines the implementation of and names Haiti as one of the 14 focus countries for PEPFAR programs (Vietnam is named later, raising the number of focus countries to 15). • February 26, 2004: USAID publishes a policy directive requiring foreign nongovernmental organizations to take a loyalty oath regarding prostitution. It requires organizations to have a specific policy against prostitution and sex trafficking as a condition for receiving U.S. global AIDS funding. • June 9, 2005: USAID expands its policy directive requiring a loyalty oath regarding prostitution to include all foreign and U.S.-based nongovernmental organizations. • U.S. funding is denied to DKT International, a Washington-based non-profit managing contraceptive social marketing programs for family planning and AIDS prevention, when the organization refuses to agree to the oath the policy required. • July 11, 2005: DKT International files a lawsuit challenging the U.S. government’s loyalty oath regarding prostitution on the grounds that it is an unconstitutional infringement of speech and that it undermines U.S. international efforts to stem the scourge of HIV/AIDS. • January 19, 2006: Ambassador Randall L. Tobias, is nominated to take over Andrew Natsios’ position as fourteenth Administrator of USAID. • April 27, 2007: Tobias resigns after his name turns up on phone records of a woman charged with running a prostitution ring. • February 27, 2007: A three-judge circuit appeals court panel upholds the anti-prostitution pledge. (Sources: news reports, PEPFAR WATCH, a project of the Center for Health and Gender Equity, and The Global Gag Rule Impact Project)

Guidelines for Participants in a Socratic Seminar

1. Refer to the text when needed during the discussion. A seminar is not a test of memory. You are not “learning a subject”; your goal is to understand the ideas, issues, and values reflected in the text. 2. It’s OK to “pass” when asked to contribute. 3. Do not participate if you are not prepared. A seminar should not be a bull session. 4. Do not stay confused; ask for clarification. 5. Stick to the point currently under discussion; make notes about ideas you want to come back to. 6. Don’t raise hands; take turns speaking. 7. Listen carefully. 8. Speak up so that all can hear you. 9. Talk to each other, not just to the leader or teacher. 10. Discuss ideas rather than each other’s opinions. 11. You are responsible for the seminar, even if you don’t know it or admit it. 5