Staying Positive... Safe From AIDS

“As of 2010, 34 million people live with HIV¹”

   As you should all know, December 1 is World AIDS Day. Activists around the world gather to raise awareness on this subject; the United Nations continue to urge support for HIV/AIDS-based initiatives, college students light candles worldwide to mark their concern, even the Media has shown interest and took a part in spreading the word. And others take advantage of social networks to alert friends and family of the on-going risk of infection and join organizations in helping end it.

“In 2010, 1.8 million people died of AIDS-related diseases²”

   Let's start with the basics. How are HIV and AIDS related? Despite hearing these two words and using them together all the time, not everyone knows exactly their meanings. HIV stands for HumanImmunoDeficiencyVirus. AIDS stands for Acquired ImmunoDeficiency Syndrome (a disease in which there is a severe loss of the body's cellular immunity, greatly lowering the resistance to infection and malignancy) ³. HIV is the virus that causes the disease AIDS.

“In 2010, 47% of all people eligible received HIV treatment⁴”

   Now I know what you're all thinking; is there anyone left in the world, in the twenty-first century, who hasn't heard of AIDS? The answer is probably No. Thanks to activists around the world for spreading the word about it. Yet, what's so unfortunate about this is that the number of AIDS/HIV infections does not seem to be decreasing, or at least not by much. Despite worldwide campaigns and warnings, there are still countries that deny the widespread of AIDS/HIV across their lands. What makes this horrifying fact even worse is that people with this disease do not always try to control its widespread, thus creating the so-called ripple effect on the community.

“Proper nutrition is an essential means of protecting the lives and livelihoods of people living with HIV. Food security also plays a critical role in helping to stop the spread of the epidemic. In 2010, WFP reached 2.5 million people affected by HIV and TB in 44 countries⁵”

   One of the important issues that always interested me was Hunger worldwide. And just as it seems, it was proven that HIV, malnutrition and food insecurity are closely interlinked. You see when you are HIV positive you might feel fatigued and tired more often than the average person. Hence, leading to the inability to work and make a living. This, in turn, leads to food insecurity and quite often engagement in sexual activities and sex work, making the situation much worse.
This is also when other problems appear. Sexual discrimination, alienation of infected individuals, social disgrace, and the list continues...
   Here’s an interesting concept. There exists something called the Needle-Exchange program; it collects used needles and distributes clean ones in return. This intends to promote safe needle use by users of drugs, extremely useful if you ask me. The use of drugs will be carried on either way, nevertheless with the help of this program the chances of being infected by the use of intravenous drug injections will decline, drastically.
   Let me introduce you the newest campaign fighting this disease. World AIDS/HIV Day this year is about “Getting to Zero”. A fresh new campaign hosted by UNAIDS concerned with achieving Zero New HIV Infections, Zero Discrimination and Zero AIDS-related Deaths. Here are the following 10 goals for 2015, as stated by the campaign itself⁶:

1. Sexual transmission of HIV reduced by half, including among young people, men who have sex with men and  transmission in the context of sex work;
2. Vertical transmission of HIV eliminated and  AIDS-related maternal deaths reduced by half;
3. All new HIV infections prevented among people who use drugs.
4. Universal access to antiretroviral therapy for people  living with HIV who are eligible for  treatment;
5. TB  deaths among people living with HIV reduced by half;
6. All people living with HIV and households affected by HIV are addressed in  all national social protection strategies and have access to essential  care and support.
7. Countries with punitive laws and practices around HIV transmission, sex work, drug use or homosexuality that block effective  responses reduced by half ;
8. HIV-related restrictions on entry, stay and residence  eliminated in half of the countries that have such  restrictions;
9. HIV-specific needs of women and girls are addressed in  at least half of all national HIV  responses;
10. Zero tolerance for gender-based violence.

   This is far from an easy task to accomplish. Yet, millions of activists worldwide still invest their effort in one of the biggest missions of mankind to date. The best thing to be done now is to alert younger generations of this epidemic. This can be done through various Youth activities, specifically targeting younger populations in hope to salvage future generations and make it easier for them when dealing with the disease. So if we could only get our children to show interest and take a part, no matter how small it is, then we’re heading in the right direction.
   What’s so important is for people to fully grasp the idea and end prejudice. Only after that can we fully work as one hand. Do yourself a favour. Do the entire mankind a favour. Find out more about how AIDS/HIV can spread, how you can protect yourself, and how to encourage others to follow your steps. Because remember, it always starts with you; take the lead, others will follow... eventually.

 
1, 2, 4, 5: http://www.wfp.org/hiv-aids
3:  https://www.google.com
6: http://www.unaids.org/en

Christmas Pledge: Join The Fight Against Hunger

 

“925 million people do not have enough to eat - more than the populations of USA, Canada and the European Union combined.”
(Source: FAO news release, 14 September 2010).

          Standing almost anywhere in your city amid gilt-edged, fancy, Christmas-themed decorations and ornaments it is safe to say that time of the year has come again. With the start of December we slowly build up our Christmas spirit by living the moment; all the way from gift shopping to putting up the Christmas tree. All to make ourselves allegedly feel what this holiday is all about.  However, I couldn’t help but wonder about some other, perhaps forgotten, issues. I am talking about a problem a lot of us are ignoring. Indeed, you’re bound to have guessed by now. While we enjoy our family reunions, and Christmas-themed parties, along with playing in the snow and kissing under mistletoes, I strive to shed a light on another population out there. I am talking about hundreds of millions of people out there for whom the Holidays are just another couple of days to be survived.I couldn’t help but wonder, how more joyful is the world, and how exactly merrier will their Christmas be?

10.9 million Children under five die in developing countries each year. Malnutrition and hunger-related diseases cause 60 percent of the deaths;
(Source: The State of the World's Children, UNICEF, 2007)

          Last night was the beginning of a three-day festival in the city centre, in the name of Christmas holidays, and with my next-door neighbors going ballistic with their decorations I had to put up a good fight. The city was hardly recognizable at night in its shiny costume of joy and thousands of people having a good time. As I circulated among the crowd, I was overwhelmed by the number of temporary newly-opened shops around the city. It seems each had a story of its own; from the best decorations to the strangest toys, all the way up to the finest wines of Italy… just about anything that would lure the public. And, yes, there was food, too.

Lack of Vitamin A kills a million infants a year
(Source: Vitamin and Mineral Deficiency, a Global Progress Report, UNICEF)

          Despite it not being an easy task to navigate amid such an intensely populated area, I still managed to visit 80% of all the stores. On my way to the other side of yet another highly-populated street, a rather unique, and different from the rest, store caught my attention. It wasn’t as colorful, or as decorated as any of the ones I have been seeing all night long. It simply said: Médecins Sans Frontières.

Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) is a private international association. The association is made up mainly of doctors and health sector workers and is also open to all other professions which might help in achieving its aims. It provides assistance to populations in distress, to victims of natural or man-made disasters and to victims of armed conflict. They do so irrespective of race, religion, creed or political convictions. (Source: doctorswithoutborders.org)

          I took a look at what they had to offer and fell in love with one of their shirts. Naturally, I kept on walking since my purpose that night was to ‘try and find something to decorate my Christmas tree’. I couldn’t have been any blinder. And during what seemed to be a painful walk back home I realized something. It suddenly hit me. I realized it is not how much decorations you have up your tree that defines your Christmas spirit. It is the amount of Christmas insideeach one of us. Also, I needed a new shirt.

Women make up a little over half of the world's population, but they account for over 60 percent of the world’s hungry.
(Source:  Strengthening efforts to eradicate hunger..., ECOSOC, 2007)

          This time of the year, make an exception, if you haven’t already. Take a moment to think of those going to bed hungry every night;  those for whom each day is a battle of survival, if not of hunger then of disease.  Think of those whom the media hardly ever chooses to portrait, despite needing publicity the most; those who have to wake up every single day and face their harsh lives. And last but not least, think of the fact that every 5 seconds a child dies of hunger. If you can, donate. If you can’t, help us spread the word. I, myself, have dedicated my time to help make a difference. You can too. I couldn’t help but fall in love with the powerful feeling of buying something and knowing it will go on and help out so many people out there. Besides, I look so good in that shirt anyway.

          There are many (legitimate) ways to help and make a difference:

1. http://www.freerice.com/
Free Rice is an educational website where you can answer fun questions, and for each correct answer 10 grains of rice are donated to the hungry.

2. http://www.wfp.org/
United Nations’ World Food Programme delivers food to the hungry worldwide and helps prevent future hunger and raise awareness. There is also a ‘Get Involved’ section.

3. http://www.thehungersite.com/clickToGive/home.faces?siteId=1
The Hunger Site donates 1.1 cup of food to the hungry for each time you click on the yellow button.

4. http://www.msf.org/
Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières helps fight epidemic diseases worldwide.

           Merry Christmas everyone, and have a lovely New Year. And remember, you can make a difference.

The Two P’s of Pride & Prejudice

 

       Every day 6 billion people worldwide begin their individual routines. They wake up and get prepared for a new day, carefully choosing their outfits and hoping for the best. As night gradually falls, a lot of expectations are crushed. Many end up disappointed and waiting for a new day to come, leaving the old one behind.
       We live in a world full of the Good, the Bad, and the In-between. We’re constantly exposed to all sorts of new experiences and events that strengthen our personalities and shape who we are. And last but not least, we live in a world where prejudice prevails.
There is something about human nature that forces people to ‘judge’ others. For some reason, a person rarely overlooks a stranger they consider inferior to them without stating something rather judicious. Everywhere you look there’s already a pair of eyes looking back at you. Whether you dress properly or not, it doesn’t matter, someone is going to comment on your choice of clothing for today. In the light of such an uncomfortable fact, I couldn’t help but wonder:  Is pride an essential part of prejudice?
       There’s a certain feeling of pride and internal satisfaction one gets upon seeing people inferior to them, and this feeling is rarely left unstated and unspoken. Highlighting others’ faults does make us feel superior. However, come to think of it, what do we really know about the people we see every day? No one knows what their lives are like; experiences and series of events that have shaped their opinions remain hidden, for as long as they are strangers to us. Someone once said: “Never judge a person until you’ve walked a mile in their shoes”, but here’s a question: what if their shoes were simply… hideous?      
       Every day, we keep on choosing the tidiest, most fashionable pieces of hope and glory as we leave our homes; expecting approval of our choices from our closest friends, to the cute crush you see once a day, to a stranger down the ghetto. Why do we seek the approval of others? Is it something we can’t live without and base our choices upon?  If so, does that mean our entire lives depend on what others think of us?  It’s a long war against bad prejudice where every battle is a step closer to winning back the approval of others. On the other hand, there is that portion of the population, stronger than the rest of us, who have developed a defensive mechanism against society’s expectations and strangers’ opinions. One can’t help but wonder:  Should you care enough to let others’ affect your life style choices? If yes, to what extent?
       In the end, it all depends on the person and their way of thinking. People won’t change, especially for some stranger down the street. The only thing you can do (and I know it sounds like something you might hear in a movie or a classic family TV show) is just be yourself. And if that’s not good enough for others, well, then, let them cry you a river.

Free Labels For All!

 

                One of the quite popular things today is attaching labels to people in our lives.  Everywhere you go there are people with tags hanging from them. There’s always that ‘popular one’, the ‘sexy one’, the ‘nerdy one’, and, of course, ‘that one’ you just can’t stand. It has become an obsession of ours to tag people and behave with them according to what these tags and labels represent. But with excessive usage of such labels plenty have lost their true meanings. One of those labels is ‘friend’.              
                Something inevitable happens to us all in life, and that is change. It may be a smaller change relatively insignificant to you, such as a change in your routine, or a bigger change that can shake your present and force you to adapt. Graduating from high school means you’re growing up, that’s the good kind of change. However, leaving your old friends behind as your pursue individual life is, on the other hand, a change not many may welcome. That is a period when new people come into your new life trying to fill the gap left by people, specifically friends, from your past. But the question is, how can such past be left behind? It’s who you are, it’s the people whom you’ve chosen to share wonderful moments with. I couldn’t help but wonder, can you have a future perfect without your simple past?
                It seems everyone you know these days is in a way considered a part of your life, and has been labeled as a friend. Unfortunately, we tend to generalize, one of the fallacies that should be avoided, both in writings and in life. We know for fact many people who’ve never had a real friend to depend on. It would all be based on befriending whoever they meet, or worse, for personal benefit. It makes you wonder, have we been attaching false labels to fake people? Have we, in a way, started carelessly giving away labels to people unworthy of them? The question is, can you get lost in the light of your own falsely chosen labels to the extent of not recognizing the people who matter to you the most? I wondered, could it be that our labels cannot be proven true in some way? Eventually, I found out the answer.
                Last week was one of my friends’ usual Saturday Night Out. We had a couple of drinks, plenty of laughs, lots of pictures taken, and of course many precious moments. While we were in the process of creating memories I realized something. At that moment, and every Saturday, we were dressed up, head to toes, in one label that we all share towards each other; one label that can’t be created overnight, it’s the one label that assigns itself without anyone noticing, the label that sets all the other labels in their righteous positions and corrects false ones, and the only label that never goes out of style, and that is ‘Love’.