While it is necessary to consider the impact of HIV/AIDS on education, it is equally important to consider the impact of education on HIV/AIDS. The disease is conceptualised as having the potential to affect education through different mechanisms: reduction in demand, reduction in supply, reduction in availability of resources, adjustments in response to the special needs of a rapidly increasing number of orphans, adaptation to new interactions both within schools and between schools and communities, altered roles that have to be adopted by teachers and the education system,the planning and management of the system, and donor support for education. Nevertheless, in the face of the HIV/AIDS epidemic, education can generate hope because of its potential to work at the three levels where AIDS-related interventions are needed: while there is as yet no infection; when infection has occurred;and when AIDS has brought death.