The soldiers in the Rwanda Defence Force (RDF) will be the first men to benefit from a government policy to use male circumcision as a tool in the fight against HIV/AIDS, according to senior health officials.

In a country where male circumcision – and its cultural connotations – have been the stuff of contention, a pilot project has been launched to roll out the HIV/AIDS prevention method that has historically been associated with better reproductive health. Watch as two young boys and their community take the plunge and go under the knife in a procedure that could become the future of AIDS prevention.