UNESCO: Cultural Appropriateness for HIV/AIDS Education

Category
Social Impact Strategy, Visual Communications
About This Project

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A toolkit for cultural appropriateness surrounding HIV/AIDS education

 

UNESCO works to create the conditions for dialogue among civilizations, cultures and peoples, based upon respect for commonly shared values. Identifying the need to address the cultural differences related to HIV/AIDS educational programing in the different countries where they work, they sought a guide to help UN field officers and contractors approach the subject.

 

OUR STRATEGY

 

Working with Pratt Incubator, Kristina Drury of TYTHEdesign took a lead role in strategizing, developing and designing a toolkit that could be adapted across countries and contexts. Kristina and team approached the toolkit with a Design Thinking methododlogy, conducting a needs assessment with field officers from across various regions to determine where the people that would be using the toolkit needed most support. The team worked to make the toolkit user-centered, with the goal of helping field officers approach their community with empathy and to learn the cultural nuances, stigmas and implications around HIV/AIDS education.

 

THE OUTCOME

 

A resource for HIV field workers

The resultant guide offers a variety of exercises, tools, and activities for field officers to uncover safe and comfortable avenues for approaching their community regarding a sensitive topic.

 

A scalable framework

Adaptable frameworks for conversation serve as the essential component of the toolkit’s success. The final product provides a structure for approaching HIV/AIDS in a myriad of cultures.

 


 

Client: United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization

 

Collaborators: Pratt Design Incubator, Kristina Drury

 

Year: 2010