Education and awareness are key to fighting HIV/AIDS

Using the Power of Art to Build Awareness

The Foundation commissioned a Bahamian children’s storybook which we hope to publish and present to Ministry of Education Primary and Junior High Schools for a special reading project (Combating HIV and AIDS through a Culture of Reading) involving all grade six and seven students in the country. In previous years the Foundation also entered into a partnership with Harcourt Educational Books, the Ministries of Health and Education to provide story books in the public primary and secondary schools on crucial issues facing our children, e.g. decision making, HIV/AIDS, stigma and discrimination etc.

Art is an important part of the Foundation’s awareness activities. In the summer of 2019 through the guidance of the Sip & Paint creator our adolescents created “Resilence” a series of paintings which emphasize an upbeat note. Over the years we have created an HIV/AIDS Awareness Junkanoo Quilt. comprised of the artwork of 250 children, some HIV positive and others HIV negative, living in New Providence and on the Family Islands. The goal was to involve children from as many islands as possible in this creative endeavor which mixes art and HIV/AIDS Awareness.

Know Your Status

Another awareness activity was KYS (Know Your Status) a project of the Social Dimensions of HIV and AIDS class at The College of The Bahamas now University of The Bahamas in conjunction with the AIDS Resource Committee, the talented young photographer, Scharad Lightbourne and Utah Taylor-Rolle of ‘Controversy TV’.

KYS was conceived to encourage HIV testing through the use of well-known faces in the community and assist in the reduction of the stigma associated with HIV and AIDS. Nineteen ‘Bahamian celebrities’ graciously agreed to lend their faces and their voices to this important project. These KYS images were displayed on a long wall at a much-used bus stop in downtown Nassau.

KYS is now used as a theme for our 12th Annual Free HIV Testing at the University of The Bahamas. The Free HIV Testing started in 2007 as a project of students in the School of Social Sciences.

Know Your Status is a PAHO/UNICEF Programme aimed at ultimately reducing the spread of HIV by empowering people to know their HIV status and thus being able to make informed decisions about their health care.

“Emerging from the Shadows….A Celebration of Hope”

Another art exhibition entitled “Emerging from the Shadows….A Celebration of Hope” in partnership with well known Bahamian artist, Antonius Roberts resulted in the publication of a book. Mr. Roberts painted twenty-one silhouettes of persons living with HIV and AIDS. The paintings were exhibited along with each person’s individual profiles. The objective was to put a human face on HIV/AIDS without compromising the confidentiality of the individuals portrayed.

Other educational activities over the years include HIV/AIDS educational Youth Rallies, formation of the Human Red Ribbon on World AIDS Day which is in its eleventh year, World AIDS Day Fun Run Walk Rush which is over 20 years old, Public Service Announcements, assisting the National HIV/AIDS Centre with seminars/workshops, funding training of HIV/AIDS health educators, quarterly newsletter, and partnering with PAHO, The Ministry of Education and the Ministry of Health on a Youth Behavioural Survey . A partnership was formed with a branch of Junior Achievers (high school students) who have become active volunteers. The Foundation received a large grant from the United States Department of Defense to conduct HIV and AIDS Research and Education among officers of the Royal Bahamas Defense Force.

The Foundation also provided airfare to indigent HIV positive persons traveling from the Family Islands to the HIV/AIDS Clinic in Nassau.

Other fundraisers over the years include: Dine N Dash, Take Away Lunch, Mid-Summer White Party, Summer Madness, etc. Emerging from the Shadows was a very successful fund raiser and artist Antonius Roberts promised his support for three years

Ongoing Education & Awareness Initiatives

The Objectives are: to engage as many students as possible in an activity that would

Other Activities:

• World AIDS Day Fun Run Walk Cycle that has been organised for the last twenty years
• Bus Stop Bench Advertising – with messages about adherence to medication – coming soon
• PSA’s (Public Service Announcements) on ZNS and Cable 12
• Workshops, e.g. Sensitivity Training for stakeholders,
• Condom Distribution

Why Choose the Bahamas AIDS Foundation

Be the Change That Makes a Difference

The following volunteer opportunities are available:

• Trained teachers to tutor students for BJC’s and BGCSE’s between 4-6pm.
• Trained tutors to assist/oversee students doing homework and assignments between 4-6pm.
• Share your skills or talents with young people, e.g. music, carpentry, etc.
• Join a committee, e.g. Education, Membership, Fundraising
• Provide work experience for a young person.
• Mentor a young person.
• Sponsor a child.
• Participate in Foundation events, e.g. Fun Run Walk Cycle, Annual Jumble Sale
• Donate gently used clothing and shoes and dry goods for the food bank
• Partner with us to sponsor the Red Ribbon Ball, the Red Tee Charity Golf Tournament, and the World AIDS Day Activities etc.
• Donate prizes for events such as the Annual Raffle, Silent Auction at the Red Ribbon Ball and the Red Tee Charity Golf Tournament.
• Partner with us to provide meals, examination fees, clothing and shoes, textbooks, dental and eye care and toiletries for the adolescents in our Outreach Programme.

Your donation helps empower lives and fight HIV/AIDS in The Bahamas

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