lyconthrope
Is The Alpha Female
some of you may know I do volunteer work for charities (mostly over-seas) and many of them linked to environmental issues and in more recent years HIV/AIDS.
I travelled to South Africa when I was 18 to work for an environmental project breeding cheetahs, and during my time there we made several visits to townships and I was shocked at the conditions people were forced to live.
So I travelled back to work in a hospital when I was 20.
I often go to rally's, lectures, open days etc...to inform others and learn when I can. I attended one recently near where I live and was given information and websites that I have found very interesting and educational.
Its suprising to read through the information given and realise how little I actually knew, and useful to see myths made clear to help people understand that HIV is very serious but need not be a death sentance! and certainly should not be a stigmata against the individual.
Many of the articles I read have the very best intentions, however the large majority of them talk about 'innocent victims' of AIDS & HIV when talking about children/babies......I don't like this term, because it implies that there are 'guilty victims', people who somehow 'deserve' what has happened to them.
This in itself promotes stigma and discrimination towards the people who carry the HIV virus, and the fact that they get any is un-acceptable.
disease does not discriminate and the people unfortunate enough to be afflicted should not be discriminated against.
Please take a look at the site linked below, it has some useful information, FAQ, quizs etc...and ways to get help & advice if needed.
http://www.avert.org/
I travelled to South Africa when I was 18 to work for an environmental project breeding cheetahs, and during my time there we made several visits to townships and I was shocked at the conditions people were forced to live.
So I travelled back to work in a hospital when I was 20.
I often go to rally's, lectures, open days etc...to inform others and learn when I can. I attended one recently near where I live and was given information and websites that I have found very interesting and educational.
Its suprising to read through the information given and realise how little I actually knew, and useful to see myths made clear to help people understand that HIV is very serious but need not be a death sentance! and certainly should not be a stigmata against the individual.
Many of the articles I read have the very best intentions, however the large majority of them talk about 'innocent victims' of AIDS & HIV when talking about children/babies......I don't like this term, because it implies that there are 'guilty victims', people who somehow 'deserve' what has happened to them.
This in itself promotes stigma and discrimination towards the people who carry the HIV virus, and the fact that they get any is un-acceptable.
disease does not discriminate and the people unfortunate enough to be afflicted should not be discriminated against.
Please take a look at the site linked below, it has some useful information, FAQ, quizs etc...and ways to get help & advice if needed.
http://www.avert.org/