December 1st was World AIDS Day. The day is dedicated to HIV/AIDS awareness, trainings on prevention, strategies for mitigating the effects of the virus, and sensitization to eliminate discrimination against those infected. Prior to coming to Uganda, I did not know such a day existed! I am extremely thankful that HIV/AIDS has not been an issue in my life. I simply never gave it a second thought. However, it seems everyone over here has, in some way, been touched by this deadly virus. They either have it themselves, or they have lost a parent or loved one to it, or they know of someone in such a situation. It is sad how common place HIV/AIDS is in this country. Much of my time here will be spent teaching adolescence the importance of abstaning from sex, being faithful to one sexual partner, and consistently adhering to condom use (the ABC's of HIV prevention).
In this picture, two of our Peer Educators are demonstrating the proper use of a condom by putting one on the handle if a pair of leaf clippers (these are the clippers the tea pickers use in the field, they are just like regular hedge trimmers but they have a plastic box attached to the blades that collects the leaves that have been cut). I can't believe that on World AIDS day we came to the event with hundreds of condoms to distribute to the audience, but we forget the penis model for demonstrations. Yes, we have penis models carved out of wood to show young people how to properly put on a condom. I'm so glad our Peer Educators are inventive. They did not miss a beat when a person from the audience asked to be shown how to use a condom.
You're saving lives! You'll never know it, but you ARE, and I'm so proud of you!
ReplyDelete