World AIDS Day

   December 1^st is globally known as World AIDS Day.  I knew about it before leaving the States, but I wasn’t too sure how well-known it was here.  Our event started about a month ago when I was at my first baby weighing and I asked my supervisor, Sakina, if we could do something for World AIDS Day.  Being the supportive supervisor she is, she said, “of course”.  I told her that I’d like to organize a sesibilization about HIV/AIDS and then do voluntary testing afterwards.  She elaborated on my ideas and got a video to play, organized with a school director of a local school that has a high rate of infection, and amazingly, got someone to agree to do the testing.  We chose a school because here, kids start having sex at 8-10 years old, which is unconceivable in the States, and because it is not unheard of that a young girls have these relations with older men (teachers, family friends, etc), there is a much higher rate of infection.  Another reason for this is because in the culture here, they believe that if you don’t have sex a lot, then you’re not healthy and you’ll get sick with all kinds of horrible things.  Which I guess there is some truth to that keeping you healthy, but they put a lot more emphasis on “being healthy” in that aspect then they really need to.  I asked Peace Corps if we could use our connections and resources to get someone to do the testing, but the only resources that are available through Peace Corps have to be booked months in advance.  Luckily, there is a local organization that does testing whom she’s worked with before and they were happy to help. 

     December first came around and Craig and I met Sakina at the school.  She pulled up with a vehicle full of stuff (including free female and male condoms to give out at the end) and walked up to meet us with a box on her head and a smile on her face.  The turn out was much larger than I had expected since we did the presentation right after exams.  We had two rooms full of kids.  One room had older adolescents and the other room had the kiddies.  The organization that came did a really good sensibilization on HIV and AIDS that was very informative for the kids as well as inclusive.  The video that we showed was so graphic that if THAT doesn’t stop them from having unprotected sex, I have no idea what will.  Craig couldn’t even watch it because it was so illustrative.  And of course every time there was a penis or vagina, all the kids started yelling and getting all excited.  

    After the video, we did a condom demonstration with both the female and male condoms while they started the rapid testing.  One of our colleagues who was leading the demonstration said to make sure the penis was hard and not floppy before putting on the condom and all hell broke loose with kids screaming and laughing and jumping around.  After the kids got their results, they gave us the little paper that the technicians gave to them when they got their results and they turned it in to us for a package of free condoms. that we got to give out  Sadly, there were many cases of HIV positive students.  They didn’t tell them that they were positive there, but told them to go to their headquarters for more testing so that they could counsel them in a private place.  Hopefully, we made some sort of impact on them to live healthier lifestyles.  As our first official event that we have done in the Peace Corps, I feel that it went incredibly well.  Enjoy the pictures!         

My fearless leader, Sakina, with a box of donated condoms on her head

The class with all the older kids

Doing the rapid testing

Ready to give out condoms!