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"Saying it with flowers"
The
Star (www.thestar.com.my)
(22/02/07)
Students enlightened on a vital topic
ABOUT 75% of Malaysians infected or affected with HIV/AIDS are mainly
children and women between 20 and 39-years-old.
This fact alone was enough reason for volunteers from the Miss Malaysialndia
Care Association to target their two-day Valentine’s Day campaign on
university and college students in Kuala Lumpur and Selangor.
Ten volunteers armed with 4,000 stalks of flowers and feathers, each bearing
a sticker that reads ‘Loving means Keeping Her/Him Safe’, ‘Get a Blood
Test’, and ‘Prevent HIV Infection’ were at several colleges in Subang,
Petaling Jaya and Kuala Lumpur on Feb 13 and 14 to remind them to play safe.
The places visited were Taylors College, INTI College, KDU and Metropolitan
College.
Developed in collaboration with France Cooperation, HSBC and Yayasan PT, the
Valentine project themed Flowers, Feathers and Friends targeted youths
between 15 and 30 years old.
The project is part of the Miss MalaysiaIndia Care Association's Get Real!!
Children Living With HIV/AIDS initiated by Dr Shaiina Mohmad Hal Hajja in
July 2005.
Programme director Dr Shalina said the Valentine project was developed to
remind young people who are statistically in a high-risk group.
“Valentine's Day is about friendship and romance. We felt it was just as
good a time as any to remind our friends to be safe,” said Dr Shalina.
“We are committed to reaching out to our peers and getting them to see the
practicality of our suggestion.
“A blood test costs about RM50. It is a small amount to pay for safety,
especially if you are planning on intimacy, marriage or having children,”
she said.
The Valentine project is the third leg of the Get Real!! Children With
HIV/AIDS programme.
Earlier this month, during Thaipusam, the association gave away 15,000 ice
creams with 20,000 fliers urging couples and partners on the threshold of
relationships and marriage to undergo a blood test.
The fliers, both in Tamil and English, indicated the number of children
affected and infected by HIV in Malaysia, making it imperative that
prevention was the only course of action.
The campaign with its innovative pull will also be conducted in Malacca and
Penang in March and April respectively.
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