A project was undertaken in Grahamstown to assess the level of AIDS awareness, attitudes towards AIDS and opinions as to how and whether education programmes for schoolchildren should be planned. Opinions were canvassed initially by means of a questionnaire to three groups of professionals who could become involved in AIDS education programmes: student teachers and lecturers in the Department of Education at Rhodes University, theology students at the local Theological College and health care professionals at Settlers' Hospital. Each group was then asked to attend a lecture about AIDS at which slides were shown of actual cases of the disease and its complications. A slightly modified version of the original questionnaire was then administered after 6 weeks to assess any changes in awareness, attitudes and opinions. The study did not attempt to establish the permanence of any such changes.