Book excerpt: This book, which was originally written as a dissertation, broadens the approach to gender equality in primary education by exploring the magnitude of complex interactions between schools and rural livelihood household processes in the context of HIV/AIDS. The arguments are based on recent ethnographic research using dimensions of rural pupils', parents', and teachers' responses to the socio-economic impact of HIV/AIDS on their livelihoods. It gives insight into some of the current debates that have been generated in the field of education, HIV/AIDS and rural livelihoods.