In April 2000 the Association for the Development of Education in Africa (ADEA) initiated an exercise aimed at identifying effective responses by education systems to the effects of HIV/AIDS on the education structures of countries in sub-Saharan Africa. The objective was to identify promising approaches and interventions in the education sector to issues caused by the epidemic. The intent was to focus on (i) the impact of HIV/AIDS on the functioning of the education sector (mainly, in terms of its effects on teachers and students), and (ii) ways by which the education sector can respond to the challenges of HIV/AIDS (mainly, through the teaching of relevant values and life skills). Interventions and policy responses to the ravages of HIV/AIDS that show promise in tackling the problems caused by this epidemic were identified and analysed. Seventeen countries responded to the invitation to participate in this exercise. This paper is a synthesis of findings to-date of the case studies from those countries, not all of which are fully completed. Indeed, this paper is a report of an on-going exercise composed of case studies at different phases of their work. In other words, the objective of this exercise is to focus on promising approaches to tackling the epidemic within the context of the education sector.