WAD With KabaNaTA

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www.orlandayouthcare.org Page 1

WAD with KabaNaTA(Kabataang Nasa Tama)

By: Anthony Lopez

December 1, 2011 Almost 30 years from its formal identification, the HIV virus

has posed a great threat in the lives of Children and Young People all over the world

and ultimately, the Philippines. This October, new cases of infection has reached 200

following the month prior of 256; Most of which come from the 15-24 year old bracket.

Males constitute to a big chunk of the number.

In the line with the advocacy to exterminate the traitor disease, the DRA MARY

ANN B ORLANDA YOUTH CARE FOUNDATION, INC, along with the rest of the world,celebrated the annual WORLD AIDS DAY Commemoration.

The program started around 7PM at their office in Molino III, Bacoor, Cavite.

Guests come from the nearby community and some from adjacent towns. KabaNaTa is

the proposed name of the DMABOYCF volunteers. KabaNaTa stands for Kabataang

Nasa Tama.

The celebration was structured in 3 parts. They are as follows:

1. Introduction to HIV2. The Power of You3. Taiz Prayer

Introduction to HIV

Guests to the program were generally not disposed into the context of theHIV/AIDS issue. We needed to device a way to touch base on the issue so the followingactivities would be digested easier. At this point we discussed data provided by thePhilippine National AIDS Council (PNAC) Website which tackled the AIDS registry forSeptember 2011*.

For the guests to understand the importance of protecting our Children and

Young People from infection, we also discussed the UNCRC. It is imperative that werelay the statements of the UNCRC in line with the discussion of the HIV issue because itgives us a clearer picture of what we need to do. Children and Young People do not

just need help in protecting themselves, it is their RIGHT! So mothers that were part ofthe discussion were pleased to know there are rights that encompass their children.


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Moving forward, we talked about what HIV really is, how it differs from AIDS, howit is acquired and the fallacies that most people believe about it. Although thediscussion was free flowing and productive, we had a challenge of discerning how torelay the information to the guests as many of them are children even below the age of15.

But thanks to the parents who helped us guide their children during the talk, wecan say that the children have gained more knowledge about HIV/AIDS.

*The only available data at that was for the month of September. The data for October was released a few days afterWAD 2011.

The Power of You

Empowering the youth, letting them voice out their opinions, and making themdecide on their ownthese are some of the goals that we aim to achieve in using ThePower of You as a resource in our discussions. With this, guests were entertained by theinteractive fun this presentation brought.

This part also served as a presentation to the volunteers and peers of thematerial that we will be utilizing in all our activities and interactions with the youth.

I would like to express my own opinion on how the presentation worked out. Atfirst, the guests were kind of confused of what was happening. But this may have beenavoided if only I was able to explain the mechanics thoroughly. So, primarily, the

preparation and the leveling out of thoughts with the guests are very important. The gistof the presentation was understood during the first 5-10 minutes of the showing.

Although at first there was a bit of a struggle, the process proved to give outgood results - it was a success.

Facing AIDS

To show our commitment to move forward into the obliteration of the HIV/AIDSdisease, stigma and false belief, and the advancement of our advocacy, a pictorialwith the FACING AIDS signage was done.

Mechanics: Each of the guests was provided a sheet of paper with the phrase

FACING AIDS printed on them. They will then complete the phrase by adding wordbefore and/or after the printed words (e.g. I am FACING AIDS because I care). Here aresome of the images taken:


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Taiz Prayer

Candle lighting ceremonies have become a custom in commemoration of someone million plus casualties who have perished because of AIDS within the last threedecades. Although similar, we took a different approach in materializing the activity.

Taiz is a name of a town in France. During the hype of World War 1, itbecame a place of serenity for people. A man came to a small chapel and started topray. He prayed in chanting pattern that later took the attention of other faithful in thecommunity. The congregation became bigger and bigger. And the method of prayingin a chanting melodic manner spread all over the world and is being practiced bydifferent religions and sects.

The integration of this activity, in the context of the WAD celebration, brought anew meaning to our commemoration; songs and chants of prayer for people who aremost at risk of HIV infection, people who presently are living with the virus and thepeople whose lives have been taken back by the creator were offered. Candles werelit to signify the burning passion for the advocacy and to represent the intense hopethat someday soon, all our endeavors will flourish leading to zero HIV infections.

Conclusion

Overall, based on the response of the guests and the participants, the WORLDAIDS DAY Celebration with Dr. Mary Ann B. Orlanda Youth Care Foundation was aSUCCESS!!!

Special thanks to:

1. Reggie InnisBaLUTI Org., for helping out in the preparations and for assisting inthe facilitation of the program.

2. KabaNaTa (DMABOYCF) Volunteers3. Dr. Mary Ann B. Orlanda, MD, FPOGS, for making the activity possible.4.

And the community that took part in the celebration.

Please relay any questions about the report to:Anthony Lopez+63 927 716 [email protected]

Documents

WAD With KabaNaTA