Here is a speech made two months ago. Were any similar speeches made in Yangon or Mandalay or Naypyidaw that the [him] moderator can post?
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Public Speaking on December 1st 2007, World AIDS Day
PLHIV Peer Educator from VCTC Mae Tao Clinic, Mae Sot, Thailand
My name is Ma #######. I would like to thank all to give me this chance to speak on the stage today. And I hope that all of you will be interested in what I am going to say today.
Ladies and gentlemen,
I have HIV in my whole body. I know my space within the community would be limited and restricted after I say this but I don't care. I think all of you should be very careful about everything you do even a woman like me have this virus.
What I would like to focus on today is to get rid of discrimination and scorning within the community. I would like the whole public to change in attitude and view. Because everyone thinks when a woman has this virus she is automatically considered being a sex worker.
I would like to convey a message from my brothers and sisters who are working together with me in the "Home Care Group".
I believe it is very important to know exactly what HIV is rather than thinking it is just something to be scared of. I don't think you would be disgusted and scared of us if you really know what HIV really is. There are ways of HIV infection and cannot infect in any other ways.
Whether within a family, in the community, it is very important to give understanding, sympathy and support to those who live with HIV (PLH).
Please help and support the PLH rather than discriminating and stigmatizing them. Only then we would be able to prevent the spread of HIV because PLH are more responsible and careful than the ordinary people. We can also be benefit to the others and help them out. We can prevent HIV in our own body from spreading to others as well as take care of ourselves to live healthily and live longer. That is why I said PLH have more quality than ordinary people. However, some PLH may be irresponsible and do not know how to be responsible. That is why I would like to say from here to those PLH - to be responsible and to prevent your virus from spreading to others. Please try to be best beneficial and valuable persons to others.
Ladies and gentlemen,
Many people are afraid of having their blood tested. Please don't be afraid and scared. If you know this on time, you can take treatment and medicine. You can even live longer. If you don't know on time, it is harder to treat and can even die. And worse we could infect others. So I would like to encourage all to have your blood tested. I would like to tell you not to be afraid. In our group we have brothers and sisters who will give you encouragement. Right now, our group Mae Tao Clinic (MTC) and the Mae Sot Hospital cooperate each other and try to provide ARV for free of charge. You can come and get detailed information regarding this at Voluntary Counseling and Testing (VCT) at the clinic as well.
And whatever you do please use condom every time you have fun. Our fellow women, it is important that you only accept safe sex. If you have unsafe sex HIV can enter your life although you would not want to invite it as a guest. Even if you want to get rid from you it won't go away. It will always try to kill you and therefore I would like to tell you to be very careful.
And I would like to thank following people:
¡ Dr. Cynthia Maung
¡ Saya Saw Aung Than Wai and Sayama Naw Ree for giving me the very foundation for me to be courageous
¡ Saya Saw Than Lwin who is everything in teaching me in manner
¡ The Mae Sot Hospital
¡ Mae Sot Tuberculosis Clinic
¡ World Vision (Mae Sot)
¡ Sister Ma Goon and the Daughter of Charity who provide us with basic need of food
¡ Metro Doctors group
¡ Social Action for Women (SAW)
¡ Sayama Daw Mi Mi Lian who arranges everything for us to go and get treatment at the hospital
¡ And on behalf of our group I would like to thank Sayama Fiona, Saya Soe Soe, Sayama Daw Myint Myint San from media group for helping and supporting me to speak today without any difficulty.
Thank you very much.
The public be honest and responsible in being a helping hand...




