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Dear Friends,
We hope
you’re well. We have some good news of what we have been doing in past
few months that we wish to share with you. As usual, we have had
community-based activities on HIV/AIDS which we think have enhanced out
work in the fight against AIDS:
We sent out
our group counselors in January and February to conduct group talks in
communities; on 6th, Jan 2005, we organized 6 group counselors and met and
discussed with 6 groups of people from Kayebe village, Gayaza Parish about
the AIDS scourge. Each counselor had 20 people in his/her group. The
topics discussed included:
AIDS,
there’s a lot I can to protect myself against it
The fight
against stigma, our contribution as a community
On February
17th, 8 counselors were dispatched to the village of Namavundu in the same
Gayaza parish. Here, we met many more people than we had expected. Some of
our counselors handled as many as 25 people. From these, we got 28 who are
HIV positive and are now coming to our professional counselor for
counseling.
We found the
people of these two communities very receptive of our message. They warmly
participated in our questions and answer sessions, which to us was
confirmation that our message was taken.
On 23rd.3
2005, we participated in a campaign "With/Without HIV/AIDS, Educate
All Children. We emphasized to the people the need to give orphans love,
care and above all the need to not discriminate them especially in
education because they, too, can benefit the country in the future is
they’re well cared for.
We also
conducted a seminar on the 28th of March at our home in which we invited
people from the communities around. Our seminar centered on "Fact
About AIDS". We discussed the effects of HIV in the body, the modes
of transmission and progression of HIV in adults. We had 150 participants.
On 20/5/2005,
we cerebrated a candle light memorial to remember those we lost to AIDS.
Our guest of Honor was MR. Bwengye Wensi from CCF (Christian Children’s
Fund), Nsambya project. Mr. Bwengye public declared that he is HIV
positive. He warned his listeners that they should take great care, and
not trust anyone as their eyes can never be able to tell whether/not
someone is HIV positive. He drove people into laughter when he said
"I am very good looking and healthy, girls and women can never
imagine I am HIV positive, actually, when I tell some people that I am,
they doubt it". He advised all people; adults and youths to go for
HIV blood tests. He encouraged those who are HIV positive to accept their
status and seek medical treatment and advice.
We have come
to realize that testimonies of HIV positive people, such as Mr. Bwengye
tough people’s hearts very profoundly, which makes our messages
appreciated by those we always seek to reach out to.
The Pigeons
would once again wish to pass their word of thanks to all our friends for
the support and encouragement you extend to us. You do a lot to carry our
message across communities. Thank you
Namiiro
Bridget
Chairperson
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