The materials are based on the stories from Soul City 1-3. They provide the facilitator with a range of flexible and easy to use learning materials that can be used to meet the many different needs of learners and trainees who want to find out more about HIV and AIDS.

The Soul City HIV and AIDS materials are made up of:

Learner materials

These consist of two full colour comics – George’s Story and Simanga’s Choice. The comics raise many different issues around HIV and AIDS, such as transmission, prevention, stigma and discrimination, the HIV test, workplace issues, choices about children and care and support. Information pages after each chapter build on the HIV and AIDS information in the stories.

The three Soul City workbooks are closely linked to the Soul City comics. They take longer to work through than the comics, and provide in-depth information about issues. The workbooks also encourage learners to develop skills by providing information and activities around three important aspects of HIV and AIDS:

• Living with HIV and AIDS (Workbook 1)
• Women, Children and HIV and AIDS (Workbook 2)
• Caring for a person with AIDS (Workbook 3)

The workbooks are suitable for use in a training situation where participants need to work through information and skills, while thinking about their own attitudes and practices around HIV and AIDS.

Facilitator support materials

• The HIV and AIDS User Guide tells the facilitator more about the Soul City materials and how to use them. It also gives tips about how to plan and facilitate learning sessions around HIV and AIDS. The guide encourages learner-centred, interactive teaching and learning.
• The eight, full-colour Soul City posters are supplied in a flipchart format. Characters from the Soul City stories illustrate some of the key learning messages about HIV and AIDS. More information for facilitators about the key learning points, is carried at the back of the poster. The posters can be used with learners who have few (or no) literacy skills, and are suitable for using with small groups, where learners only have a short time to work through the issues. It should take about an hour to look at and discuss each of the posters on the flipchart.
• The AIDS in our community and the Living positively with HIV and AIDS handbooks: These two handbooks provide the basic facts about HIV and AIDS, as well as practical tips about how to live positively with HIV and AIDS. They are available as teacher support material or as reference material for learners.
• The Soul City HIV and AIDS training video – the story of Lizzie and George, follows the story of these two characters from Soul City, and how they cope when they find out that they are HIV positive. The video has been adapted for use in the training room, and raises a broad range of issues for discussion.

Soul City training

As a response to numerous requests for training, and as a way to get the Soul City HIV and AIDS materials distributed widely – Soul City has set up partnerships with fourteen provincially based non-governmental organisations. Each of these partner organisations is involved with HIV and AIDS training, although they each come to it with a different approach. For example, one partner does training within the context of Early Childhood Development, another partner does training within the school and education system, while others focus on counselling and care.

The training model used by Soul City is a cascade model, focusing on training trainers to use the Soul City HIV and AIDS materials. The model is as follows:

• Soul City trains three master trainers from each of the partner organisations; training focuses on ‘How to use the Soul City HIV and AIDS materials’. Trainers have access to the Soul City HIV and AIDS materials for their training courses.
• Master trainers train other trainers from the organisation and affiliated with it – training still focuses on ‘how to use the Soul City HIV and AIDS materials”. These trainers have access to the Soul City HIV and AIDS materials for their training courses.
• Trainers train community facilitators and teachers on how to use the Soul City materials. These trainers and community facilitators have access to the Soul City HIV and AIDS materials for their training and teaching work.

Providing an HIV and AIDS Training service

This model allows Soul City to train provincially at all levels, and also ensures that the Soul City materials are used by many different groups at all levels. It also means that an organisation requesting training can be trained according to its needs by the Soul City partner. This would allow for training that takes into account the issues that affect a specific area or province.

Distribution of the Soul City HIV and AIDS materials

The Soul City HIV and AIDS materials are freely available to anyone who wants a set. They are distributed for Soul City through a local publisher.

• Materials are available free to non-governmental organisations, though they are required to pay for the postage.
• Materials are charged for on a sliding scale to commercial organisations and government.
• Materials can be customised according to the needs of organisations that request this.