World AIDS Day

The international day in the fight against AIDS is a day that came up very quickly in my service, only after 1 month of arriving at my site. For many Peace Corps volunteers around the world this is a very important day of my service. Every year, on the first of December, people all around the world have marches, demonstrations, speeches, and services to honor those who have died of AIDS-related illnesses, are living with AIDS, and the fight to prevent the further spread of HIV/AIDS to others.

Many of the projects that Peace Corps volunteers work with is centered around preventing the spread of HIV/AIDS. The two programs that I will be working with, starting in February (Hogares Saludables and Escojo Mi Vida) both have a large focus on preventing the spread of HIV/AIDS. For me, World AIDS day started on the 30th of November with a march that I had in my community of approximately 100 houses, Tierra Prieta. With the leadership and amazingly enthusiastic help from the unbelievable youth group in my community, we made posters, cut ribbons for red bracelets decorating the wrists of a wide range of community members (the color of solidarity to those with AIDS), gave out small hard sweet watermelon candies to children and families throughout the community, and walked the approximately hour and a half loop of my community. Along the way we collected more participants wanting to participate in this lively small, yet enthusiastic parade. The youth even took the time to stop at some houses, read their posters, and share some of their knowledge about HIV/AIDS to the community members. My host partner was incredible and the only older adult in the parade, but stuck with this group the entirety of the loop, setting an awesome example I thought to the importance of this cause in the fight against AIDS. Below are some photos of the awesome participants in our march, holding their signs with lots of pride.

I felt really reassured and inspired after my walk within my community. If I wanted to do an activity these youth had my back. Who knows how my group will go, but I was so relieved to have this victory. Following the day of my community walk, on December 1st, there was a celebration for World AIDS day in San Juan. The day was put on by a handful of Dominican organizations and all of the volunteers from Peace Corps in our region were there. The day started off with a short march around San Juan, filled with classes, organizations, mostly youth and organizing adults. The walk ended in the city’s central park, where volunteers from Peace Corps and Desportes Para Mi Vida had set up activities for the youth to participate in. There was painting hands with a deep red paint, handprints were then placed on a large white banner showing a solidarity in the fight against AIDS. There was a station to learn how to put on a condom (including the steps, sample condoms, and dildos to practice on). There was a station where you could have your picture taken of you holding a sign pledging to help to prevent the spread of AIDS. There was a station to play games with metaphorical meanings to the risks and ways to prevent the spread of AIDS (hosted by Deportes Para Mi Vida), and there were snacks. Once everyone had had their fill of snacks and participated in all of the activities, they slowly began to disperse into gua-guas to make the trip home. It was great to see so many people joined to raise awareness of HIV/AIDS. That night there was also ceremony with balloons and candles lit on the park’s walkway in the shape of a red ribbon. With every candle lit, someone else said another sentiment about why they were there participating in World AIDS Day and the extreme importance of this day and work people were doing in the fight against AIDS. Following this ceremony there was singing and releasing of the balloons into the sky. Following the close of a very successful day in my opinion, one of the young men there working with Escojo Mi Vida said “You will be organizing this next year!”. This kind of hit me hard in the gut. Many of the logistics of this day was organized by Peace Corps volunteers. How on earth would have first of all the Spanish ability to communicate getting all of these things together, how would I apply for the funding, how would I problem-solve all of the unexpected glitches that came up over the day? My fearless counterparts were due to leave to return to the United States in October, long gone before the next world AIDS day. I left the day with a huge garbage bag, full of posters, red tape, and nerves yet also extreme excitement of what next year would hold for me, organizing the San Juan World AIDS day with Dominican organizations. Below is a picture of me painting hands at World AIDS day in San Juan.