Here is one of those World AIDS Day 'raising awareness' stories that makes the [him] moderator cringe. It was a waste of perfectly good funding.
[him] moderator
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Royingya refugee camp commemorates World AIDS Day
Kaladan Press
Saturday, 04 December 2010 19:23
Teknaf, Bangladesh: International organizations and refugees in Nayapara camp commemorated World AIDS Day on December 2, said a refugee leader from the camp.
The event was organized by Research Training and Management International (RTM) with support from the UN High Commissioner for Refugees.
“The ceremony included educational dramas conducted with the participation of refugees in the camp,” said the refugee leader.
He added that camp teachers, NGO officials, physicians and others all played a part in the day’s events.
Abdul Mannan Akond, an HIV/AIDS field coordinator, and AK Nagash, a project manager with RTM, delivered speeches during the ceremony.
The addresses focused on this year’s slogan, “Stop AIDS, Keep Promise”, which urged families to keep faith with each other as a means of stopping the spread of HIV.
Speakers also pointed out that people in Bangladesh and Burma have heard about HIV/AIDS but do not have a full knowledge of how it’s transmitted and how to protect against it.
The day’s messages were aimed at young people, and speakers noted that about 50 percent of all new infections are among the age group of 15 to 24 years. Young people in this age group learn about sex from access to pornography or from their peer groups, but they have little access to information about the risk of HIV/AIDS, speakers said.
Also addressed during the event was the government’s policy of not giving people living with HIV access to anti-retroviral drugs, which has been heavily criticized by physicians and health activists locally and abroad.
As well, speakers noted that people living with HIV face discrimination and marginalization that can sometimes prevent them from seeking medical care or even getting tested for HIV.
http://www.kaladanpress.org/v3/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=2934:royingya-refugee-camp-commemorates-world-aids-day-&catid=129:december-2010&Itemid=2
