The Chaos Within - Being an HIV Positive Community...
We had a meeting with the community leaders of Tadiwala Road on the 26th of March.
Sunday. It was potentially our most challenging event yet, not withstanding the pseudo-conservative and God's-hour-is-Sunday-morning-at-8am churches we've been to... the best church experience we had thus far was at Pastor Dominic's church at the YMCA, they were evangelical and charismatic, but there was no pseudo-conservatism there. Just a sense of mission to reach out to those who need it.
On the 26th, we had over 40 leaders there, young and old, from Tadiwala Road listening to how their community is on the frontlines of the battle against HIV/AIDS. The response was overwhelming, 99% - if you want to put a number to it - signed up to the vision 'To make Tadiwala Road a Model Community in the Battle against HIV/AIDS' and pledged over 12o of their personnel for training in awareness programmes and fighting stigma. These training programmes begin in May, and will include participants from our 'Be HIV Positive' programmes in University Depts., Colleges and Churches.
On the 'Be HIV Positive' front, some individuals on my team have got a little nervous about me going around talking about being HIV Positive and indicating that my team is HIV Positive too... they feel uncomfortable. Marriage proposals may dry up, for example, if they are suspected to be HIV+. I sometimes wonder if I unconsciously ignore the sensitivities of those on my team that aren't HIV+ because I am so concerned about those who are... but... being HIV Positive is what we have to be. We can qualify it, anyway we like if we feel the need to, but after a meeting with Zinabu and some other students from the School of Health Sciences last week, they are still going on about how they are HIV Positive! Which is fantastic... and if they can... then my team, those who are concerned, will learn to do this one day too. Soon, I hope.
If I stand up at a 'Be HIV Positive' programme we are conducting and talk about me being HIV Positive, and talk about what it means, for example, 'being positive about educating yourself and others on HIV/AIDS and related issues', I am not out to create a doubt in anyone's mind about me being HIV+, but if they do think so... its a bonus, because they'll realise that someone who is HIV+ looks like anybody else, and that is what we strive to inculcate.
More significantly, my HIV+ team members have shared with me how supported they feel by the fact that I call the team HIV Positive, which includes HIV+ people.
Confusion? No, solidarity.
People have requested to say ‘positive about HIV/AIDS,’ rather than HIV Positive... they say that India is not ready, there is too much ignorance etc etc etc.
I don't know... if the School of Health Sciences and Pastor Dominic's Evangelical church is anything to go by, not to mention the community leaders who stood up and called themselves HIV Positive on Sunday last... then maybe India is ready.
But are you ready to be HIV Positive?
Sunday. It was potentially our most challenging event yet, not withstanding the pseudo-conservative and God's-hour-is-Sunday-morning-at-8am churches we've been to... the best church experience we had thus far was at Pastor Dominic's church at the YMCA, they were evangelical and charismatic, but there was no pseudo-conservatism there. Just a sense of mission to reach out to those who need it.
On the 26th, we had over 40 leaders there, young and old, from Tadiwala Road listening to how their community is on the frontlines of the battle against HIV/AIDS. The response was overwhelming, 99% - if you want to put a number to it - signed up to the vision 'To make Tadiwala Road a Model Community in the Battle against HIV/AIDS' and pledged over 12o of their personnel for training in awareness programmes and fighting stigma. These training programmes begin in May, and will include participants from our 'Be HIV Positive' programmes in University Depts., Colleges and Churches.
On the 'Be HIV Positive' front, some individuals on my team have got a little nervous about me going around talking about being HIV Positive and indicating that my team is HIV Positive too... they feel uncomfortable. Marriage proposals may dry up, for example, if they are suspected to be HIV+. I sometimes wonder if I unconsciously ignore the sensitivities of those on my team that aren't HIV+ because I am so concerned about those who are... but... being HIV Positive is what we have to be. We can qualify it, anyway we like if we feel the need to, but after a meeting with Zinabu and some other students from the School of Health Sciences last week, they are still going on about how they are HIV Positive! Which is fantastic... and if they can... then my team, those who are concerned, will learn to do this one day too. Soon, I hope.
If I stand up at a 'Be HIV Positive' programme we are conducting and talk about me being HIV Positive, and talk about what it means, for example, 'being positive about educating yourself and others on HIV/AIDS and related issues', I am not out to create a doubt in anyone's mind about me being HIV+, but if they do think so... its a bonus, because they'll realise that someone who is HIV+ looks like anybody else, and that is what we strive to inculcate.
More significantly, my HIV+ team members have shared with me how supported they feel by the fact that I call the team HIV Positive, which includes HIV+ people.
Confusion? No, solidarity.
People have requested to say ‘positive about HIV/AIDS,’ rather than HIV Positive... they say that India is not ready, there is too much ignorance etc etc etc.
I don't know... if the School of Health Sciences and Pastor Dominic's Evangelical church is anything to go by, not to mention the community leaders who stood up and called themselves HIV Positive on Sunday last... then maybe India is ready.
But are you ready to be HIV Positive?
posted by Deep Griha at 3:55 am
2 Comments:
i agree with you when you talk about being called 'HIV+' rather than 'positive about HIV/AIDS'. even if people mistake you for being HIV+, one hand it would send out a message that a HIV+ person is just like any other person. it would also make people curious and would eventually help in the process of creating awareness.
Thank you for that. We need more people like you willing to understand what being HIV Positive is, and to be part of the fight. Cheers.
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