This review was undertaken by the Ministry of Education Focal Points for school health and HIV/AIDS from countries in Sub-Saharan Africa participating in the Accelerate Initiative, together with representatives of stakeholders and partners, using data collated during the 2007 school health and HIV/AIDS Focal Point Survey. In 2002, the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) Inter-Agency Task Team (IATT) on Education established a working group - known as the Accelerate Initiative Working Group - to address these challenges and support countries in Sub-Saharan Africa as they accelerate the education sector response to HIV/AIDS. Since 2002, the networks of Ministry of Education HIV/AIDS Focal Points have rapidly taken ownership of the Accelerate Initiative, so that the term "Accelerate Initiative" is now taken to refer to the activities at regional, subregional, and national levels. These are initiated by Focal Points within their networks under the auspices of the Africa Union Regional Economic Communities. The review shows how, over the last five years, the leadership in Ministries of Education has been crucial in mobilizing these activities, and also emphasizes that eff ective implementation depends on the full participation of all stakeholders. Education staff , educators, and learners all have a role to play, as do parent-teacher associations, teachers' unions and the many civil society organizations, including faith-based organizations, that are so important in the nonformal sector. The review also demonstrates the commitment of the development partners, and their efforts to harmonize their contribution toward strengthening the education agenda.