As we are all too well aware HIV-AIDS is a worldwide epidemic.It featured in the media several years ago now its limelight is somewhat diminished.  However it is still here; lurking in corners, bubbling away in the background destined never to go away until a cure is found; sadly it is a growing epidemic here in Indonesia.  The red ribbon is an international symbol for HIV-AIDS awareness - see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Red_ribbon

HIV-AIDS is no stranger to Bali and the number of reported cases is on the increase with the north of Bali having the second highest number of cases after Denpasar in the south. The Rotary Club of Bali Lovina has determined to promote and fundraise for HIV-AIDS awareness programs as one of our ongoing community projectsIt is difficult to obtain accurate data to verify the number of people on Bali that are currently infected with the HIV-AIDS virus; recent reports from the Aids Commission state (as of March 2010) that there were 3,390; these numbers are increasing at an alarming rate. These figures cover the sexually transmitted cases and the Injecting Drug Users (IDU) sector which is the second largest group of people living with this infection. But what about the cases that go undiagnosed?  Autopsies are not carried out routinely and because the majority of the patients come from poor social economical backgrounds the figures in fact could be much greater.The Rotary Club of Bali Lovina is committed to raising money to ensure that these crucial educational programs continue.

Project Objectives

• Continue to formulate educational programmes for children in primary school and secondary schools.

• Continue with information via commercials on Bali TV and local radio stations.

• Ensure the ongoing distribution of HIV-AIDS litreature via Magazines

• Continue the highly successful Genjek Functions that are held in the villages. Genjek is a mixture of traditional music and dance and we utilize this medium to convey the HIV-AIDS message.

• Promote the on going integration in playgroups between children who have an HIV-AIDS background and those who do not. This program is of the upmost importance as it teaches that discrimination will not be tolerated

Continue teaching the families of HIV-AIDS sufferers’ hygiene control. In particular the preparation of their bodies once they have died. This requires a lot of patience and compassion (it conflicts with a lot of religious beliefs) as the families are urged to mandi the deceased person then to bury them or cremate them within two-four hours of their death. There are many more projects in the pipeline, some are still being researched. If you would like more information please contact our club.

Parja on the left along with two AIDS volunteers. Parja gave a presentation as a guest speaker for our Club on Living with HIV Aids