Two crazy chicks who give their uncensored, funny opinions on dating, sex and relationships: meet the Wing Girls. Things you were thinking but never really dared to say in a guy's face... They will say it in your place- and how! If girls cry when you kiss them, if they run away screaming when you hit the dance floor, if they hit you in the face when you touch their boobs -or worse-, if you're locked in the bathroom for hours because you don't know how to use a condom... It's safe to say you're in urgent need for some help. Wing Girls to the rescue! Because a guy who knows what he's doing and who wraps it up is oh so sexy!Here's their video on how to use a condom:     For more funny Wing Girls video's, go to their websitel!

"Well well, Mr. X, although we are looking for a female secretary, so far your interview has been pretty successful, but still there are a couple of things I'd like to know about you...ever been to a Lady Gaga concert?" It may sound bizarre, but this kind of idiotic approach is not so unusual these days. Rather than being "simply" legally punishable, it tells a lot about how many steps we still have to take if we want to achieve really equal opportunities. When it comes to daily life, "equal rights" doesn't equal "equal opportunities". Puzzled? Me too. But there's good news, as somebody is trying to make it less blurry for us: the Policy Research Centre on Equal Opportunities for the Flemish Minister Pascal Smet is organising a study on effectively equal opportunities, which involves an interesting online survey. Spreekt u Nederlands? Then go straight (or gay, because it's open to everybody!) to the right page and make your contribution. It's for a better, more equal future - ours, yours and theirs. Not finished yet: to top it up, interesting prizes for some lucky winners (Ipod Nano, Ipad and much more)!

Last night over 500 people came together in Hangar 26 at Stuurboord for the 11th edition of Antwerp Diner, an exclusive benefit party organized to raise money for HIV/AIDS projects.   Next to Sensoa -the Flemish center for sexual health information- and the Institute of Tropical Medicine,Antwerp Diner introduced two new beneficiaries: Tomorrow4Isibani and Designers against AIDS!   Ninette talking about DAA and the Education Center   It was a very successful evening and the proceeds will go to these particular projects:* Sensoa will build a new website where seropositive people and their families and friends can find all the information on living with HIV/AIDS;* The Institute of Tropical Medicine continues the research on HIV/AIDS medication and more in particular the research of genes that might stop the disease;* Tomorrow4Isibani will build a daycare center for young children in South-Africa who lost their parents because of HIV/AIDS;* and we at DAA will use it to sponsor the first students that come to the International HIV/AIDS Awareness Education Center- which is opening in two days!   During this gala night eleven Belgian top chefs took over the kitchen: serving us a delicious 4 course meal along with some beautiful wines and finishing with chocolates in the shape of red ribbons, a spermatozoid and the tip of a condom (with 'safe sex' written on it). There even was a chocolate flavoured condom for each of the guests.             this was the chocolate flavored condom, served together with the other chocolates. I almost ate it thinking it was a chocolate in a condom wrapper..   Between the courses artists took over the stage: Jean Bosco Safari, Paul Michiels and Sandra Kim, who won the Eurovision songcontest in 1986 with her song "J'aime, j'aime la vie"! It was a nice evening, we met members of the other organizations and shared our inspirations and beliefs. After all the wining and dining it was time to hit the dance floor with Discobar A Moeder behind the turntables!     Special thanks to: the Antwerp Diner organization, the chefs, the volunteers in the kitchen and serving the tables and of course all the people who were there to support this event and who help us in our fight against HIV/AIDS.    

Last Friday the Beursschouwburg in Brussels hosted an unforgettable night, with tons of designers, great music and a good cause, of course: the support of HIV/AIDS related projects. Marina Yee's powerful installation was a real attraction: a big, red-lighted room showed her innovative work made of scarves...colourful, different scarves that were then auctioned to raise funds. What is better than a scarf to remind ourselves that we should take care of life? Just as you wrap yourself with a warm scarf before hitting the freezing city, well, simply remember to wrap yourselves on other occasions too! :-)   The result was amazing, a constant flow of visitors and bidders. And to top it up, after the auction some good music played live because...well, because it was Friday night and we were in Brussels!   Enjoy some of the pics here!                

Hello everybody, let me first introduce myself: my name is Nynke Westerveen and since 2008 I've been a freelance visual artist/photographer. During my studies in Fashion Communication, I was always striving to find my personal interpretation and then concluded my educational path with a documentary about teenagers and fashion. It's a documentary about fiction and non-fiction which focuses on adolescence, a project describing my social interests and curiosity for kids and young people.I love meeting people and exploring, but this time I'm not only travelling for myself... my aim is actually to introduce Designers against AIDS to South-America!     My first encounter - Buenos Aires, San Telmo, 3rd November, around 2 pm   While strolling around Plaza Dorrego I decided to approach some local fellows who were selling handmade jewellery. These guys, all between 27 and 35 years old, were at first a bit uncomfortable about safe sex. Of course it's not a topic you would easily talk about with a stranger! After a while it became more serious and one of the guys told me he had become father because of one of his crazy nights. After that night he's changed - a bit, at least - and now he's more aware about consequences. He doesn't live together with his son's mother, but both parents are taking care of the child, who is now 3 years old. What really surprised me was his reason for using (well, in this case for NOT using) a condom: avoiding pregnancy. He didn't even mention sexually transmitted diseases, as if the only big concern is to avoid becoming a father after a one-night stand. Hospitals hand out condoms, but still the government doesn't take HIV seriously. In my opinion giving free condoms is a good start but not enough, though. So I decided to go to the hospital in the same street to ask for more information about free condoms. There I met Melanie, a nurse who's working on the HIV ward. She's a member of CEPAD, an organisation based in Buenos Aires which provides support on HIV/AIDS prevention and testing. I gave her a DAA brochure and we discussed on how to reach people more effectively. She confirmed my suspicion: condoms are mainly worn to avoid becoming a parent. "Diseases?" "What are you talking about?". The government pays for rubbers and that's it.   Next week I'm invited to a meeting at the hospital. I hope I'll get to know more about how the ward works and what insiders think. Get back to you soon!   Love from Buenos Aires,   Nynke                  

Yesterday Flemish center for sexual health and HIV Sensoa invited the Belgian press in the Antwerp Shopping Stadsfeestzaal to present their analysis for 2009 regarding new HIV infections and unfortunately, they are still rising.       1.135: that's the number of people that were diagnosed with HIV in 2009 in Belgium and in the last decade the number of new infections has been balancing around the 1000 mark. Gay men remain the most important risk group, with 1 out of every 20 gay men in Belgium being seropositive now. This trend is mainly caused by the fact that the gay community is relatively small, which enhances the chance that your sexual partner might be infected. But Sensoa can also see a positive evolution: more people get tested right after having unsafe intercourse. This means that the number of late diagnosis is halved. Early diagnosis is very important in the war against new infections. People who know they are infected will hopefully adapt their sexual conduct and be careful not to infect their partner. The other advantage is that they can start earlier with an inhibitory treatment. Not only is this good for the person in question, it also reduces the chance that the disease will be passed on. Belgian media figure Showbizz Bart also came to talk about the importance of safe sex, speaking about how much he enjoys the good things in life and can't imagine why someone would jeopardize this. Cavaria (LBGT organization in Flanders) highlighted the importance of stepping away from the stigmatized negative image that goes with HIV. People with HIV should feel like accepted members of society, so that they feel safe to disclose being infected and inspire people to have safe sex. These last two statements capture a big part of DAA's philosophy, so with that in mind we talked about our book that promotes pure beauty and our campaigns that keep the subject of HIV/AIDS alive in a positive way, instead of negative stigmatized perceptions. Our program manager Carsten talked about our future: the Education Center -that will open next week!- where young people from all over the world will learn how to spread the same message: Life is beautiful, take care of it and be safe. UNAIDS also published their new HIV figures (an articile about that will be up on this website later today)  and even though the presstoday  is mostly talking about a 20% decline in new HIV infections worldwide, don't forget that this only goes for Africa: in the western world, new HIV diagnosis are still on the rise. Just use that condom, there's no excuse not to.              

Such an unconventional Saturday at DAA: seven beauties (well, 8 with our Sophie), only 2 guys (Carsten and me)...what more could you wish for? :-) These seven lucky Tokio Hotel fans travelled the whole world (read: the Benelux) to come to Antwerp! It has been a great pleasure to spend the afternoon together, a great chance to meet new people and at the same time, of course, to discuss Respect.   Since we were at Designers against AIDS, well, we began by sharing some hot tea and a few words on HIV/AIDS. And what really struck me is that... I sort of have a prejudice about youngsters and AIDS: I have the impression that they know very little on the subject, or simply don't give a damn about it. Partially mistaken: many of them certainly need to get some more accurate information (and here comes DAA!), but they do care, oh yes. Taking the QAQ (Quick Aids Quiz) was not that tough, but it turned out to be very useful, as this world is full of a lot of wrong information and clichés on HIV/AIDS. Then the discussion went on with what we at DAA do and on the new Education Center, which will start hosting young students from next year. Who knows, maybe some of these girls will be our first guests?   But at this point you may think we simply did a lot of talking. A comfy, boring afternoon. No, no, no. After that we did roll up our sleeves and customize beautiful T-shirts! And between you and me: our girls have a lot of creativity! Further on this page you can have a look at some of the results - these T-shirts are still work in progress, but in the next days you will be able to admire our works of art! So please stay tuned, and meanwhile a warm thank you to Corinne, Emily, Esther, Jill, Nicky, Romy and Sophie!                                                    

Simply amazing, this time the DAA logo has reached the hot streets of Mexico: local Tokio Hotel Fans have helped spread our safe sex message, and they did a great job! They have distributed leaflets and condoms, which we hope will help raise more and more HIV/AIDS awareness in their country. Once again you guys have proved yourselves really sensible and active! What more can we say? Thank you very much TH Fans, you make it happen! :-)            

Last Thursday KDG students in Antwerp had a powerful boost of culture and fine music at the CultuurCheque! For those of us who have never heard about it, the CultuurCheque represents a unique chance to get citizens involved in the cultural scene: students who have bought the 10 euro booklet will be able to take part in different cultural events, including gigs, theatre plays, movies, museums and so on. During the event they could also listen to some good music, as band 'Sue me Charlie' was performing live. On the same day students had the chance to purchase a special package sponsored by DAA, which contained condoms, flyers and other goodies. Because we believe that culture means also being sensible towards ourselves and those who surround us :-)            

Hi my name is Priscillia!Today I worked at Designers against AIDS for the project Zuiddag. First I started with styling some outfits from the clothes that are sold in the Fashion Days shop. Then I did a little photoshoot. :) As I am studying for stylist and want to become a fashion designer and blogger one day, I really liked it and didn't want to stop!Then I wrote a blog together with Gianluca about Zuiddag and why I am here today. It was really nice to see how the website works and how you can write a nice blog. After this we all had lunch together, it was really cosy and I felt right at home here at DAA. In the afternoon Sophie asked me to arrange the stock. This may sound boring, but I found it interesting because I could see a lot of nice pieces of previous DAA and FAA collections.At the end of the day I had a look at different great pieces of many designers and artists who customized a t-shirt for DAA. It was really inspiring and I feel like customizing one for them to.If I had to tell you how my day was...well, I would say I would do it again in a minute!    

One day free from school, yippie! But don't misunderstand, these guys are doing it for the good cause: today, on October 21, many Belgian employers open their doors to young students for one day. Yes, one whole working day! This is 'Zuiddag', a project which started in Norway in 1964 and aims to help developing countries. How does this work? Well, it's all about...working! For one day students get the feel of what working in a real job is all about and the salary they raise goes straight to good local projects all around the world. In previous years thousands of euros have been collected for countries such as Colombia, Uganda and Brazil and this year's target involves healthy organic food projects in Indonesia (on Java and Bali).   And here is where DAA steps in: today a really special guest has joined us! Her name is Priscillia and she is a student at Sint-Maria Modeschool in Antwerp. We are really happy to take part in this good project, even for one single day, because we believe in what 'Work for Change' has been doing for countries that are less lucky than ours.   Later on this afternoon we are going to give you fresh updates and Priscillia will be blogging about her day at DAA, so please stay tuned!  

Just like us, the Kaulitz brothers mean serious business when it comes to HIV awareness. Have a look at the video Tom just posted on his blog. It's made by 'One Life' and makes a shocking statement: it's not because you can't see HIV, that it isn't still there.  Thank you Tom for keeping this subject alive! And you guys, remember: 'Rock hard, Fuck safe'  

Here at DAA we firmly believe that what we do is more than just educating the general public on safe sex, it's also about respect. Respect for life, yourself and others. To some it might sound like a very naive message, especially in these times, where the Internet takes over from the real world and words like respect, friendship, love or beauty seem to lose their meaning. Many people might think believing in a positive world, where people act responsibly and respectfully, is a lost cause. We don't listen to nihilistic nonsense like that. The positive reactions we get from all over the world, people who believe in what we do, youngsters who are getting involved are the living proof that things can change. We're not there yet, but we are definitely getting closer! Our heart goes out to those who have to fight against all odds, who are being judged every day just for who they are. That's why we were extremely touched by Bette Midler's letter to gay youth and America, as a reaction to the string of suicides within the gay youth community in the US. "Live and let live" -Bette's message is clear. "Do unto others as you would have them do unto you." Basic values and respect could make this earth a different place. (Read more on Perez Hilton's blog) Choosing death over a life with daily bullying and assaults is a very desperate, clear cry for help. To all young people reading this: never be afraid to be who you are. It's not always easy to follow your heart, but at the end of the day that will be your strength. Don't let others take this away from you. Things are changing, people are listening, we are listening. If you have doubts and fears, share them, for if you keep them locked up they will only become bigger and get to the beauty that is you! Also have a look at this video made by ‘The Trevor Project'.  

Last year Tokio Hotel was part of the H&M Fashion against Aids campaign.Ever since then, they've kept on supporting our cause, carrying out the safe sex message to the big family of TH fans. It's an important, life saving message and of course we at DAA are always grateful when artists commit to help us to reach out to as many people as we possibly can. With Tokio Hotel it's a different story: not only did the band became our new warriors, with them also their millions of fans all over the world! Sometimes we at DAA can't believe how fast they spread the love; who ever said faster than light is impossible: think again.On Facebook, Twitter, TH Fanclub and Street Team websites and fanpages, all means possible are used. Before you know it, our message is out there, in all corners of the world. It's amazing!Their ongoing enthusiasm inspires us in what we do. This is exactly what we need for everyone to understand, but also to spread out our message. We want to thank the Tokio Hotel fans for their commitment and support! Soon our book ‘DAA: The First Decade!' will be in stores -including 3 never before published pictures taken by the boys. A special reward for all their fans, fighting with us for a world free of HIV/AIDS- you're all rock stars!  

The Invasion has just started, a big welcome to the Warriors! But please don't run to your helmets, and down with knives and forks, as you could hurt yourself...this is a peaceful invasion and, what's more, a highly creative one. So get the right side of your brain started and read on, because there's a new load of exclusive DAA goodies on the market!De Invasie (The Invasion) is an innovative platform where you can find creations by young & talented designers from Belgium and The Netherlands. But - you may ask - what has DAA to do with that? Easily said: we have our army of designers, too! Last week these creative warriors exposed some of their amazing products in Leuven, at STUK Kunstencentrum. Missed that? No problem: by clicking here you now have the chance to fight over one or more of their creations. Whether it's a unique dress, a fashionable lamp or an inspiring canvas, you'll be sure to get what you're looking for. And again creativity is good for everybody: our designers have decided to donate all the profits to DAA. So why not take a tour? But remember: the collection is limited, so hurry up!      

Today we created a fan page for Designers against AIDS on Facebook, where supporters can see recent updates, events and especially a lot of photos (more than we can put online here) and can also take part in interesting discussions and get to know other people who care about the same issues. You can find us here: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Designers-against-AIDS/140409422660799 We hope to see you on the new DAA fan page!Kindest regards,Ninette

Today was my last day at the Global Village. Time flies by when you’re busy – and having fun! I had another wonderful day –besides the fact that it’s super hot in Vienna- at the conference. After going to the MTV Staying Alive IGNITE event yesterday – which was a well organized and lovely gathering – I rescheduled a meeting with someone at MTV Staying Alive and saw her today; we had a very succesful meeting, so keep your eyes open for more news about our plans on this website soon!And again some good news on the IHAEC front: I was able to find a couple of very interesting potential partners such as Youth Dived Pakistan and China Youth Network. It’s amazing to see so much talent and motivation amongst these young activists. It’s a cliché but so true that they are the future and based on what I’ve seen in Vienna I’m sure the future is in good hands!As you may have seen on my picture from yesterday there is a whole army of Free Huggers at the Conference. You hug them, you get the T-shirt and some love. I’ve know this movement for quite a while - I actually saw it for the first time on the Oprah Winfrey Show – yes I confess, I love Oprah! An Australian guy started with this and it became a sensation. It’s a small world because he was “my hugger” and I started talking with him and he told me that he’s been doing this for a couple of years now. According to him it’s the best job in the world and I can imagine why. The nice thing about the hugging here in Vienna is that the City of Vienna sponsors this action. What a cool thing to do! Antwerp, are you reading this?I can conclud my blog by saying that this has been an amazing experience. I met a lot of interesting people, was able to spread the word on IHAEC and got tons of inspiration. It’s not always easy to fight for this cause and it’s pleasing to see that you’re not the only one who’s doing it. More than 25 000 people from all over the world were present at AIDS 2010 and I think it’s needless to say that each and every one of them is doing an amazing job.  I’d like to thank all of them for making this happen and hopefully our goals – rights, treatment for everyone and an HIV free world- will be realized sooner than we think… Keep fighting!XSteffiOn the picture you see singer and AIDS activist Annie Lennox, who led the Human Rights march through Vienna yesterday and who gave a great performance afterwards PS: And remember: Life’s too short. Have sex. Be safe. Estelle

This morning I headed out to the conference quite early. I had an exciting meeting with a representative from IPPF and was happy to meet with her at the Youth Pavilion. We had a lovely meeting, that was hopefully the beginning of a sustainable partnership with IHAEC. I walked around the Global Village, visited a lot of the booths and ran into a couple of acquaintances such as Patrick from Belgian NGO Sensoa and Bongani, the Media Manager for Soulcity South Africa - I met him during my trip to SA for the filming of Voices. The Global Village is such a nice space! I'm really happy to be part of it. There are tons of workshops, discussions, screenings of films, booths -and not to forget, tons of free condoms. It's nice to meet and talk to people who have the same ideas and who are fighting for the same cause. Some stories are heartbreaking, while others are inspiring and motivating. After my tour I attended a Y-peer workshop at the Youth Pavilion. Y-peer is a very cool network of youngsters who believe in peer education. Check out their website (see 'Links') to learn more about them. The workshop was all about the role of media and celebrities in HIV/AIDS awareness campaigns. A lot of people attended it so there was a good vibe in the room-not boring and formal at all! We had a couple of discussions and saw two short movies that the Y-peer trainers use when they go to visit rural areas or schools. During this workshop a couple of local celebs where there to participate to. Dani, a famous Macedonian singer and Sammy Sheik, a Hollywood actor who has roots in the Middle East. He is actually the most recent Y-peer ambassador and he was in one of the short movies. After this intensive morning I was starving and met up with a wonderful woman called Jessica Withbread. She's from Canada and part of the International Community of Women Living with HIV/AIDS. She would love to be part of the IHAEC and give trainings to our IHAEC students and I can't wait for this to happen! She was kind enough to introduce me to a couple of Y-peer people she met at a previous conference. After lunch I did another tour at the Global Village and then decided to go back to my hostel to have a powernap. Unfortunately a heat wave is approaching Vienna - to me it feels like it's already here- so I wasn't able to have that nap so I worked on my blog instead. I'm gonna get ready now to go to an MTV Staying Alive event for my final meeting of today. As you can see, lots of talking, meeting, observing and networking going on in Vienna! Talk to you later!X Steffi  

10 PM A quick update from Vienna!  Had a very busy but exciting day here: went to the World AIDS Conference and talked to a lot of people -not all interesting for IHAEC, but I found two potential good partners:WGNRR (spoke with their youth coordinator)  and Yuwa Nepal ( part of the Global Youth Coalition). Tomorrow I have a meeting with people from Y-peer (I´m attending one of their workshops), the International Planned Parenthood Federation and MTV Staying Alive. I´m also going to approach other big organizations such as Choice, Act up, GNP+. Problem with these booths is that it´s almost never the representative that's there, but mostly volunteers. Anyway, I feel that I´ll get back with some good info, possible partners and lots of inspiration for IHAEC - plus tons of pictures, of course! Off to bed now.Sweet dreams!x me 10 AM A big day today, because it was the opening of the Youth Pavilion. Her Royal Highness Crown Princess Mette-Marit of Norway attended this opening and even gave a speech. In her speech she expressed her support for youth fighting against AIDS and confirmed her belief in this young generation. She was friendly, talked to all the Youthforce members and seemed truly inspired by them. After this event I walked around, observing all the booths and talking to some inspiring people. I'm happy to tell you that the first connections with possible IHAEC partners were made: both the Women's Global Network for Reproductive Rights and the Global Youth Coalition were very interested in our work! Tomorrow I'm meeting a delegate from the International Planned Parenthood Federation (IPPF) and I'll be attending a Y-peer workshop. Now I'm off to ‘Fish and Chips, Twice Please?!' Wish me luck ;) Steffi  

After a long flight - I had an enormous delay due to the storm in Vienna- I arrived at my hotel and crawled into bed. Woke up, had a lovely breakfast and headed straight to the conference.Not much to see yet, because the Global Village only opened at 6 PM. Time for some sightseeing! I was amazed by the amount of advertising for AIDS 2010 in Vienna: it seems like every store collected a couple of red ribbons and displayed them. Even the world famous Hotel Sacher -yep, that's the one where they created the Austrian Sachertorte!- had a display of AIDS 2010 cakes. On Sunday evening I watched the opening ceremony of the AIDS 2010 at the Global Village and headed back to my hotel.   Steffi