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Showing posts from December, 2013

Overcoming Stigma | Moving Ahead

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World AIDS day is commemorated on the December 1 st of every year. Buds of Christ commemorated this day at the center with 40 children living with and affected by HIV and their caretakers to encourage young people to think ahead and not allow the stigma affect their dreams and goals. Three young volunteers living with HIV came forward to share their experiences of living with HIV, to encourage the other adolescents and family members to look beyond their current experiences. For Radha “Though I was born with HIV, I came to realize my HIV status only when I was doing my 8 th standard. At that time, I could not accept it and even thought of committing suicide because people around me stated that HIV is contracted only to people who are engaged in immoral behaviour”. For Baskaran ”When I was studying 6 th standard I had come to know my HIV status and  my parents had died much earlier due to AIDS. On receiving the test result my immediate thought was “why me?” and I felt no