AIDS Week focuses on stigma
Whenever we get sick we’re generally treated with a little extra care and compassion by the people we know, especially our families. But sadly, this is not always the case, even if we discover we have a potentially fatal disease like HIV. Next week is World AIDS Week, and once again the focus in Belize is not only on creating awareness, but arousing compassion for those infected with HIV or suffering from full-blown AIDS.
Jacqueline Woods, Reporting
People living with HIV and AIDS continue to be shunned by the wider Belizean society. It’s a situation that the Chairperson of the National AIDS Commission, Ambassador Dolores Balderamos Garcia describes as being more devastating than the epidemic itself.
Dolores Balderamos Garcia, Chairperson, N.A.C.
“I think that is one of the areas in which we feel that there are still major challenges. We still have major challenges of behaviour change, for example, we have major challenges of not all our sectors becoming as involved as we would like to see, but perhaps the greatest challenge is the continued stigma and discrimination.”
Once again, the theme for this year’s World AIDS Week is “Live and Let Live, Eliminate Stigma and Discrimination.” On Sunday, Belize joins other countries across to globe to hold a number of activities to raise the awareness.
Dolores Balderamos-Garcia
“We are going into a very hope filled week. A week in which we can celebrate our accomplishments, but of course keeping in mind how far there is still to go because I think there is a long, long way to go to end the stigma and discrimination and allow our people to seek and to have access to the care and treatment.”
In Belize, the days of activities get underway with an AIDS walkathon from Ladyville to Belize City. It is sponsored by the Belize Water Services Limited as part of their community service programme.
Martin Greenhalgh, C.E.O., Belize Water Services
“We are starting off from mile ten at six a.m. in the morning and then about a hundred and forty employees, family members and friends of staff will be walking to the Marion Jones Stadium. The time for arriving is approximately nine-thirty.”
Jacqueline Woods
“And then what takes place at the Marion Jones Stadium?”
Martin Greenhalgh
“Well I’ll make a little speech to thank everybody and it will culminate and hopefully raise a little bit of money which we will be donating to the National AIDS Commission.”
Dolores Balderamos-Garcia
“It’s actually nine days, nine full days. We call it was week, but it’s nine full days of awareness, activities, consciousness raising and recommitting ourselves to the fight against HIV.”
Last week, Belize participated in a meeting of the Pan-Caribbean Partnership against HIV/AIDS to strengthen the countries ability to establish programmes, improve linkages and implement national priorities in the fight against HIV/AIDS.
