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"Three girls on a mission"
The
Star (www.thestar.com.my)
(12/06/07)
Students lead campaign to promote HIV/AIDS awareness
Amelia Justina Ng-Hao, Ng Wei Ying and Lee Suet Ling, all 16, joined the
leadership programme in February and set to work the next month to launch
their Give A Hug Programme to promote greater awareness of HIV/AIDS among
teenagers and residents in the area.
“If we were to be leaders, we need to address certain issues that are
relevant to society. HIV/AIDS is a topic about which many people have
misconceptions, like what it is and how it is. We believe that it is our
duty as the future generation to eradicate the stigma and educate the
general public, especially our peers, on what HIV/AIDS is and to open their
eyes to the conditions of the people who have the disease,” said Ng-Hao.
She added that more awareness efforts should be initiated among youth so
that they would have the knowledge to do the right thing.
SMKBBSP principal Bidah A. Hamid said that schools were the best platform to
promote awareness-related programmes.
“We have to make teenagers understand HIV/AIDS and how you can get the
disease. Although some topics like homosexuality and sex can be sensitive,
with the right approach to sending these messages pertaining to HIV/AIDS, we
can help them understand and thus help them be more prepared in the real
world,” she added.
Ng-Hao, Ng and Lee started their programme by selling brownies, key chains
and badges; all proceeds from their entire programme will be donated to the
Woman and Health Association of Kuala Lumpur (WAKE).
A WAKE spokesman said they were very touched that the trio had chosen to
donate the proceeds to the organisation.
“It is good to see young people actively involved and getting the knowledge
they need before stepping into society.”
Also present at the event was Positive Living Foundation (PT) project worker
Roslan Hamzah, who spoke about HIV/AIDS in the eyes of the public.
“AIDS has been here for so long but the scourge continues to grow because
back then, parents and people didn’t take the time to discuss it openly with
their children. If more parents and people had been wiling just to talk to
their kids, maybe the disease would not have reached the level that it has
today,” he said.
He added that the only way we could lower the statistics was through
education and that had to begin at home.
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