AIDS.

We have now seen the effects of HIV/AIDS in two countries, Venezuela and Brazil.

Both countries are considered to be in Latin America but they have very different relationships to HIV/AIDS. In Venezuela HIV/AIDS is a “gay cancer” and the stigma that comes along with it is crippling. In Brazil, HIV/AIDS is a disease that anyone can contract, gay or straight, man or woman, rich or poor and it is acknowledged as a national challenge and its prevention efforts receives the support of everyone.

When we were working in Venezuela and we told people that we were working on HIV/AIDS and youth issues people looked at us a little funny as if why on earth would we want to or care to go around the world looking at a disease that effects the people that it should.

In Brazil, the reception to our program was just the opposite; all the people we shared the program with wanted more. They knew that the only way they were going to stop the spread of this disease was through education and that perhaps the most powerful education was peer-to-peer which is exactly what we were doing.

During our first Brazilian conference with Ashley Judd all of the youth were talking about abstinence and how this was the only truly effective way to not contract HIV. Everyone agreed with everyone and any mother or father would have been proud that their child had chosen an oath of abstinence. After several self-congratulating moments between the American youth over videoconferencing on choosing abstinence a young girl in Brazil took the stand and in Portuguese explained to her counterparts in America that she was young and that she wanted to enjoy life, indicating her enjoyment of her sexuality. She was quick to add that she knew the dangers of HIV/AIDS but also knew how to properly use contraceptives and she did so religiously. The young girl was saying that the Brazilian population had identified the problem and they had identified a fairly reliable way of protecting themselves, condoms, but that they couldn’t deny their innate human instincts. From our conversations with others in Brazil I fell as if this young lady spoke for many others.

So we are now off to South Africa, and I will be interested to see how HIV/AIDS had affected this country and this continent.

-Chris

Comments

[mercer]

beautiful photos..........
beautiful life you are seeing, the good & bad - should be the definition of beauty, no?