World AIDS Day

December 2, 2012

World AIDS Day. Around the globe, communities, individuals, cities, campos, institutions, Peace Corps Volunteers, families and neighbors celebrate Day of the Battle Against HIV/AIDS on December 1^st. As a Peace Corps Volunteer, it almost feels required (especially as a Health Volunteer) to plan an event to observe this important international day of observance.

I kicked off the big weekend with a quick/spur of the moment trip to Pimentel which is near San Francisco de Macoris and where a good friend and fell health PCV, Jose, lives. His Escojo Mi Vida groups had written and planned a musical for World AIDS Day called, “Que Hay Debajo La Falda da Melina” (What’s Beneath Melina’s Skirt), a play about a prostitute who is HIV Positive. It was a great success, with amazing turnout. Then we got a chance to go have a night on the town with a few other volunteers who traveled there for the event. Poor decision was staying out until nearly 4 in the morning and then having to leave back to my site at 7am. But I made it…

Today I got a chance to spend 7 hours with a group of dedicated women, youth and volunteers to observe World AIDS Day (a day late) here in my site. We spent our day learning more about HIV/AIDS, discussing the importance of learning about the virus, sharing personal stories and teaching in the community.

It was a fun activity to be in charge of planning, because most of the time I got to focus on the logistics of the day while everyone else shared their knowledge and participated in activities. The day went a little something like this:

5:00am – James wakes up to finish getting ready and to head to the pueblo

8:50am – James arrives to a locked (it was supposed to be unlocked) Community Center

9:05am – James arrives after a panicked wild goose chase for the one set of Community Center keys (I went to a colmado, an old woman’s house, a mechanic shop, and an afterschool center…it would have helped if I knew to ask for a MAN named Irene and not a WOMAN named Irene).

9:15am – James is ready at the community center with a registration table set up and folders, nametags, red ribbons and all sorts of goodies for the participants

9:25am – The first person arrives

10:30am – People are still arriving but we start with a welcome, a dinamica, self-introductions, prayer to GOD, discussion of why we’re here today and snack!

10:50am – A quick review of HIV, the four liquids that transmit HIV and the three activities that can propagate the virus.

11:15am – March through the Pueblo with signs and passing out red-ribbons chanting “No Queremos SIDA, Queremos VIDA!” (We don’t want AIDS, we want life!)

11:40am – Review of the ABCs of Prevention (Abstinence, Being Faithful, Condoms)

11:50am – Art Activity where the participants divided into groups and made posters explaining why, how and who can prevent HIV/AIDS (ABCs and all that jazz) followed by the groups heading out into the community to post the posters in public places like Colmados, Bancas and on electricity poles

12:40pm – Lunch Arrived

1:30pm – Charla by my Regional Escojo Coordinator Vidal about the Myths surrounding how HIV is transmitted

2:00pm – Charla by PCV Yvette about how to use a condom (including a Condom Race)

2:40pm – Discussion about ways to start conversations about Sex, Condoms and Prevention with Husbands and Youth

3:00pm – Snack!

3:15pm – A visit from a young female Dominican doctor to talk about HIV, Pregnancy and HIV, and how women can navigate HIV/AIDS in a Machismo culture.

4:00pm – Closing words.

It was a full, but a VERY full, day. I was pretty happy.

Yvette and I stopped by the Escojo office with a few jovenes to hang out for a bit just chatting and having a good laugh after a long day. I came home and relaxed and luckily it started downpouring so I got to close my door early.

Highlight of the day? To be completely honest…I got to make an egg-white and spinach scrambler because I picked up spinach in San Francisco on my way home on Saturday. This is my first Spinach EVER in the Dominican Republic.

 

Charla-ing.

Posing by their Public Service Announcement

More Poster Posting

Posting Posters in the Community

Posting posters in the community

Posters

Posters

Posters

Posters

I loved that the women and youth were working together.

Working on Posters

Teresa and I acting out a situation in which the husband wants to have sex and the wife has to say no.

Some youth making Red Ribbons.

Yvette, Always smiling and ready for a great time!

A March around the Pueblo chanting.

She was super dynamic and a great public speaker.

Our doctor talking with the group.

Excited to take some Condoms home.

Yvette and Kati teaching the group about Condoms

“Se coloca en el pene agarrandolo por el punto. Agarra el base y desenrolla el condon hacia abajo.” I think I could say that phrase in my sleep at this point.

Condoms anyone?!

Peace y’all.