Education needs to look at the development of individuals, their ability to think and reason, build up self-respect, as well as respect for others, think ahead and plan their future. These psychosocial abilities are the life skills that help people think, feel, act and interact as individuals and as participating members of society. Well implemented life skills approaches to HIV/AIDS and education can reduce risk by delaying the age of first sex, increasing condom use, reducing the number of sexual partners, promoting the early treatment of STIs, promoting access to voluntary and confidential counselling and testing, and reducing other forms of risky behaviour such as drug use, and injecting drug use in particular. When life skills programmes are designed to include activities not only at the teaching level, but also in the fields of policies, learning environments and community linkages, it leads to a synergistic effect, which ensures that efforts in one area are not undermined by lack of attention in others.