Lessons for Life: Helena and Luís Empower Students

In a classroom in Namaacha, Mozambique, students stand in a circle, holding hands tightly. They form a “human skin” barrier, one that a classmate tries to break through.

It’s not just a game—it’s a biology lesson. Their teacher, Luís, uses this playful approach to teach students how their skin protects them from viruses and infections. He then explains how using condoms during sex protects people from early pregnancies and STIs.

This is what comprehensive sexual education looks like today at Luís’s school. But it wasn’t always this way. Lessons on sexual and reproductive health used to be limited. A lot of what students learned came from informal information sources, many of which echoed harmful beliefs that girls should marry and have children as soon as they reached puberty, a common occurrence in Mozambique.

Today, things are different at this secondary school and many other schools in Mozambique that are supported by Right To Play. Since the SHARE program started, teachers like Helena and Luís have been trained to integrate sexual reproductive and health topics into their normal classes — a true game-changer.   

PREPARING STUDENTS FOR LIFE

Early and forced marriage and pregnancy are common in Namaacha. In 2023 alone, more than a dozen girls at this school became pregnant—many before they reached 15. Without knowledge or support, these girls often dropped out of school, losing their chance at education and a better future.

Launching in 2023, the SHARE program sought to change the story for girls and boys in this region of Mozambique and other countries. Offered in partnership with FAWE, FHI 360, and WaterAid, and supported by the Government of Canada through Global Affairs Canada, the program aims to advance gender equality by improving access to sexual and reproductive education and gender-responsive health care for young people, especially girls and young women, in Ghana, Mozambique and Uganda. In Mozambique, SHARE has integrated sexual health education in the normal curriculum of the schools. Teachers are trained to include topics related to sexual reproductive health and rights in their normal classes, using a play-based approach so they can connect with their students and prepare them for life.

Just two years ago, sexual health education was still limited and surrounded by stigma. Today, lessons on puberty, consent, and HIV are part of the educational curriculum. Not only that, but teachers have integrated CSE (Comprehensive Sexual Education) topics into everyday lessons and teach them using engaging and interactive approaches that reduce the intimidation and stigma factor and make the learning stick.

For Luís, a biology teacher, using interactive play-based approaches to teach topics that are sometimes difficult to talk about has been transformative. In today’s lesson, he explained how skin protects from diseases and infections, then introduced a game to show how contraceptives can provide similar protection and health benefits. By learning through play, students not only absorb important information—they also experience its relevance firsthand and feel encouraged to ask each other questions.

Luís says his students are more attentive, and he finds that they are learning without realizing it. His connection with his students has deepened. He’s not just teaching science—he’s preparing young people for life. They come to him with questions, concerns, and curiosity. And they leave his class with knowledge they pass on to their siblings and parents.

TEACHING WORDS, TEACHING RIGHTS

Luís isn’t the only teacher who is making a difference. Helena, who teaches Portuguese, now integrates sexual health education into her Portuguese reading and writing lessons. In her language lessons, she uses texts that cover topics like puberty, consent, and HIV. In one class, they read a story about a girl unsure if her new dress was modest enough to wear outside. After reading aloud, students discussed possible solutions to her dilemma. Helena then introduced a game where they had to reach a safe zone without being hit by a ball, while classmates acting as “protectors” helped shield them—illustrating in a playful way how they can protect themselves from pregnancies and STIs.

Helena has noticed that her students are now more open to talking about topics that used to be taboo, like naming their body parts by their actual names. At first, students giggled or blushed when certain body parts were mentioned. But Helena persisted. She explained that there is no shame in naming a body part by its actual name. Since then, the attitude in the classroom has changed. In this way, Helena is helping students improve their language skills while learning about their bodies and rights.

A FUTURE OF POSSIBILITY

Zoe, one of Helena’s students, remembers an important realization that she experienced in class one day.

“I didn't know the difference between HIV and AIDS. The day teacher Helena explained it, it's something I put in my mind and to this day I know the difference between those two things.” For Helena, this is what education is about.

And the results speak for themselves. In 2023 there were around 13-14 girls with early pregnancies at this school. In 2024 this dropped to only eight, and now, in July 2025, there are zero early pregnancies and zero dropouts due to pregnancy.

Arrone, the School Director, is proud of what his teachers and students have achieved. He believes education is the foundation of everything - and that when students are equipped with the right knowledge, their dreams can become reality.

Thanks to Helena and Luís, students aren’t just learning—they’re growing confident, making informed choices, and protecting their futures. Through playful, interactive lessons, taboo topics become conversations, knowledge becomes action, and lives are being changed. From fewer early pregnancies to students staying in school, these teachers are showing that education can empower an entire generation.

The Sexual Health and Reproductive Education (SHARE) project aims to advance gender equality by improving access to sexual and reproductive education and gender-responsive health care for young people, especially girls and young women, in Ghana, Mozambique, and Uganda. Launched in 2022, through a partnership between Right To Play, FAWE, and WaterAid, the project is made possible with the financial support of the Government of Canada provided through Global Affairs Canada, and with technical assistance provided by FHI 360. The five-year project will strengthen sexual and reproductive rights for more than 325,000 adolescents and youth (age 10-24) by 2026.