Rubberwear

So, in Burkina we don't exactly do "rubberwear" parties (what some folks like to call safe sex workshops...I believe Babeland in Seattle has them). And admittedly, my safe sex workshops in the states were much more entertaining. That being said, we started off World AIDS Month earlier by having an HIV workshop and condom demonstration with women at our maternity.

I was so proud of my midwife because she requested to do the sensibilisation and did most of the talking. She did so well! She covered destigmatization of HIV positive people, common myths, how HIV is transmitted and a condom demonstration. The women were giggly and shy (keep in mind they were all pregnant and there to get an HIV test as part of their prenatal counseling). One woman even refused to squeeze the condom package. But, overall they listened and participated.

It is a challenging topic for any situation, but I think it went well for what it was. Next step is to get all the materials ready for our World AIDS Day/Month murals. The money came in a little later than expected. I am coordinating the materials for 15 of the 70+ communities. My committee (Community Health and AIDS Task force) is overseeing the whole project so we are all a little stressed out. If all goes according to plan 70 communities across Burkina will have had at least one workshop and one mural about HIV by the end of January.

How are you celebrating World AIDS Day?
Sent from my BlackBerry® smartphone from Airtel Burkina Faso.