Dia Mundial del SIDA

Dia Mundial del SIDA - written December 2nd

Yesterday, as I hope all of you knew, was World AIDS Day. For the volunteers of the health project in Peace Corps, it is kind of a big day. Not all the health volunteers organize events, but in some way, we all try to inform and educate the people in our communities. I don’t know why, but I got very excited for World AIDS Day this year. I spent a long time planned a whole day of info and activities, got the municipality involved, the nurses from my health center wanted to help, a women from near by came to give her testimony of what it is like to live with HIV - the only thing that was missing in the end, were the townspeople.

One of the info displays I made for World AIDS Day.

I know that I should not have gotten my hopes up for a big turn out, but I really hoped that people would come and show their support - not only support for people living with HIV, but their support for me. I have been living in this town for six months and everyone knew that I was organizing this event, so I had hoped people would come because I was organizing it if for no other reason. I realize know that that was a foolish thing to hope for. As much as people smile and say hi and act excited when I talk to them, it doesn’t change who they are and how they are going to act. And when it comes to things related to HIV, people do not want to be associated with it - people think that if they go to an event about HIV, people with assume they have HIV.

But, this is exactly what World AIDS day is all about - and this year especially. The theme for this year was Llegar a cero - arrive at zero - zero discrimination, zero new infections of HIV, and zero deaths related to AIDS. I was trying to focus on zero discrimination. I had a women living with HIV come to give her testimony, and I was hoping people would come and listen and realize that people living with HIV are just like everyone else. People here in Honduras often think that if someone has HIV you can tell by looking at them, but no, someone with HIV looks just like the rest of it - you could have HIV and not know for a really long time.

So, yesterday, we started late of course - Honduran time. We were going to start at 9am, but we ended up starting around 9:30am. The plan was for a parade through town with signs and the band playing drawing attention to us. About seven members of the band showed up, and there were three drums, which was plenty to make a good amount of noise and get people’s attention. Everyone else that came to the parade were very little kids. I love that they wanted to help, but where were all the adults? There were three walking with Amanda and I - Hector who was helping me, one of his friends from his church, and then the teacher who had to be there because of the instruments the kids had. But, I didn’t let that get me down. We all took a sign and walked through the streets: “If I had HIV would you hug me?” “If your brother had HIV, would you stop loving him,” “stop the incline of HIV - in Honduras there are 39,000 people living with HIV,” “Support people living with HIV,” “Prevent HIV - Abstinence - use a condom,” “Educate yourself, Inform yourself, and Avoid it,,” “The whole world deserves their rights!” And many more. We marched down to the main street and talked to people waiting for buses, and waved our signs at buses driving by - we picked up a few more people and then marched through town. The whole way, I was passing out red ribbons so people could pin them on and show their support for people living with HIV, and we were telling people about the event in the center: information about HIV, a testimony, and free HIV tests.

Part of our parade through town.

After we made it back to the center, it was time for Sra. Sofia to giver her testimony. All the kids stayed to listen because they wanted some of the cake that I had made for the occasion - about four other adults wandered in to listen, too, but part of me thinks it was only because they heard about the cake. I know - what great feelings I have toward Hondurans, right? But, I’m just telling you how I feel.

The ribbon cake I made for Dia Mundial del SIDA.

I’m glad that the kids were there, it was information that they will hold with them their whole lives, I hope. A lot of the kids were in my Yo Merezco class, meaning I had already taught them about HIV, so this event was the perfect experience for them. Hopefully everything Sra. Sofia talked about reinforced everything that I had taught them, and put a face to HIV for them. I feel like, for them, meeting someone with HIV will be something they hold with them their whole lives. My hope is that their generation will not discriminate and hold such a stigma to those who are living with HIV! So, for that I am very glad that so many young people were at the event because it gives me hope for the next generation, but the lack of adult participation just proves all the work that still needs to be done with the current generation. This is exactly the problem. People don’t want to learn about HIV, people don’t want to meet people with HIV - instead when someone finds out that someone else is HIV positive, they fight them, or kill them - unfortunately that happens here in Honduras, and in many countries all over the world. Which, is exactly why I think this year’s theme was so important - Llegar a cero (arrive at zero) - CERO DISCRIMINATION. I just wish that I could have gotten more people in my town involved. I did everything I could. I advertised the event, I talked to people in town about it, I had Hector talk to people about it and we both passed out flyers; I called women in the women’s groups to come, I asked the people in charge of the youth groups to have them young people come. I did everything except walk around town with a microphone announcing it on a loud speaker - which maybe next year I will try to do. So, I need to not get down on myself. I did everything I could to get people involved and I am very grateful to the people that did participate, but it is hard not to get upset about the lack of participation.

After Sra. Sofia’s testimony we were in the center for a couple more hours with information and free HIV tests. Fifteen people ended up coming and getting tested, which after the lack of participation during the morning, I was actually surprised at the number. And, of those 15 people, none of them were positive for HIV - which is very good news!

At 6pm, I had planned another parade with candles to commemorate the people who had AIDS and died because of a sickness they were not able to fight off due to their compromised immune systems. When it was time for me to go down and meet people for the parade, I had lost my ganas (my drive/my excitement) to go because I had a feeling nobody would be there. And, unfortunately, I was right. Nobody was there to meet Amanda and I. We waited about 20 minutes, and then I decided to just make the ribbon symbol out of candles like we had planned and have a moment of silence anyway! As I was setting out the candles a handful of people came and asked what we were doing and helped me light them, then we all had a moment of silence to commemorate the people who had died, and then we waited for the candles to start burning out before we called it a night.

Candle ribbon to commemorate those who have passed away.

I know that this blog might not be the most up beat. But, yesterday was difficult for me. I spent the week preparing for this event, getting so excited, and trying to get other people involved and excited. Then when it came down to it and almost nobody showed up, it hurt. It hurt because nobody could take it upon themselves to be involved in something having to do with HIV, and it hurt because even if people were worried about what other people might think, they still didn’t come to show their support for me. I know this day was not about me - it was about showing support for people living with HIV, informing people about the virus, and trying to reduce the stigma associated with it, but it still hurt that hardly anyone came.

As a Peace Corps volunteer, they tell us not to take these things to heart, that it is a slow process and that we can plan great events and that people won’t come, but that there is nothing we can do about it. All we can do is plan events, inform the people that do come, and hope that they will share the information that they learn with other people. And we have to just realize that at least passed on the information to the few that did participate - but I’m learning that a hard thing to accept/

What keeps me smiling and going from day to day is that I know that the kids are learning all this information. If I can make some sort of mark on their lives while I am hear, I will have done enough - I will feel good about my years volunteering here! I’m looking forward to working with them for the next year and a half!