We Arrived In Bali For Our First International HIV Prevention Workshop!
Author: Ninette Murk
Thursday 11th of April 2013 01:38:33 AM

Two days ago, Ninette and her husband Peter from DAA arrived in Bali to prepare for their first international HIV prevention workshops, aimed at young people who live on this Island of the Gods. An island that has a very dark side too...


Designers Against AIDS will be holding workshops to train future activists and trainers in Bali from April the 15th till May the 21st, 2013. The workshop will focus in empowering activists and trainers in the tourism/hospitality industry, as the highest employer on the island and catering to over 2 million tourists a year, we hope to reach as many people as we can by focusing on this industry.  The workshops will provide the participants with adequate knowledge about HIV/AIDS (modes of infection, treatments, rights and social behaviour) as well as efficient and effective campaigning and disseminating information to the public at large.  The workshops will culminate in the launch of an online platform, which will be a critical tool (but not limited to), for these activists in further reaching out to other activists and the public, especially young people.

 

The Current Situation

 

With around 250 million inhabitants, the Republic of Indonesia is the fourth most populated country in the world and one of the countries with the fastest growing HIV infection rates in the world, with an estimate of over 400.000 people living with HIV/AIDS (source: UNAIDS). Bali is one of the provinces with the most rapid increase in HIV prevalence. Recently it is reported that an estimated one percent of pregnant women in Bali are infected with HIV/AIDS. According to the AIDS Commission [Komisi Penanggulangan AIDS] (KPA), the number of people living with HIV/AIDS in Bali has increased by an alarmingly 24% during 2011 to 5.222 people, compared to 4.210 people in 2010. DAA feels that this trend has to be -and can be- stopped.

 

Designers Against AIDS

Was founded in 2001 by Ninette Murk in memory of a close friend who lost his battle against AIDS and also as a response to media ambivalence towards HIV/AIDS and safer sex practices, which meant that younger generations were growing up with incomplete knowledge of the disease. Deciding to focus on those younger generations, the foundation took it upon itself to see how it could rejuvenate the message and truly communicate with them. This resulted in developing creative campaigns using social media, which became popular and awareness projects with key fashion brands (H&M, Eastpak, MAC Cosmetics, Marc Jacobs…), musicians (Katy Perry, Rihanna, Pharrell Williams, Yoko Ono…) and other celebrities who have a young fan base to speak on behalf of DAA and instigate conversation around responsible sex and personal health.

 

At the end of 2010, Designers Against AIDS launched the International HIV/AIDS

Awareness Education Center (IHAEC) in Antwerp, Belgium. A place where young

students from all over the world come to learn how to set up simple and effective HIV prevention and awareness programs. The students take this knowledge home, to replicate these campaigns in their countries of origin. Our current international students have been busy helping prepare these workshops in Bali and will keep on lending their support while we're here. At the end of the workshops we plan to launch the new website Bali against AIDS ànd to open a regional DAA office here.

If you'd like to join these workshops that start on April 15 in Sanur,Bali or want to support our work, please contact us at info@designersagainstaids.com

Only together we can achieve a world free of HIV and AIDS.

 


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