EVENT REPORT:

HIV/AIDS: An Important Issue for Girls, a Worldwide Problem for Women
AIDS In Your World Seminar hosted by Victoria Potluck Link Members

Condoms, safe sex and HIV/AIDS prevention? Is this something that Girl Guides should talk about and learn about? “Girls worldwide say” so and so do we!
 
On February 4th, 2007, forty-three Pathfinders, Senior Branches, Link, Guiders and friends crowded into to Guide House for the third “AIDS In Your World” seminar organized and run by Victoria Potluck Link members. Many came out of personal interest or to complete program like the new Pathfinder badge “Hot Topics For Youth” which covers HIV/AIDS and advocacy.
 
The sizeable interest in this issue as well as the wide range of ages present at the seminar attest to the importance and relevance of educating all Guiding members about HIV and AIDS and advocating for national and global prevention strategies. Advocating you say?  Too strong of a word for Guiding? I don’t think so and neither does The World Association for Girl Guides and Girl Scouts (WAGGGS).
 
Ever since 1909, when our founding sisters marched up to Lord B-P to demand Scouting allow girls to join, Guiding has advocated for the rights of girls and women. WAGGGS takes a stand for the rights of children, girls and women by sitting on UN committees, by writing Press Releases, by supporting initiatives through alliances with other organizations, and by creating advocacy programming like the UN/WAGGGS AIDS Badge which everyone at our seminar earned. For more information check out www.wagggsworld.org.
 
A recent survey on adolescent health, which surveyed 6000 girls in 100 WAGGGS countries, found that the most important health issue facing Guiding girls and young women was HIV/AIDS. Thus, when WAGGGS re-branded its logo in 2005, “Girls Worldwide say Fight AIDS” became one of the most important messages.  And why shouldn’t it?  More than half of the 42 million people living with HIV/AIDS are women and therefore it is an extremely important issue for all of us.  It is a disease that hits the most vulnerable the worst—those without proper access to nutrition, health care, water, sanitation and education.  It is a global tragedy.  And more needs to be done.
 
At the end of the day, the scope of this problem, and personal stories such as one of guest speakers, Minneh from Keyna, left a deep mark on many of us. Our silent auction brought in money for a WAGGGS supported adolescent health project--a terrific start.  But for many of us the question of ‘what else can I do?’ was lingering on our minds. Together we brainstormed how we as individuals and as an organization can further this cause. Then many of us made a personal pledge to do something---tell someone, write a letter, run a seminar---to help reverse this global problem. And the positive vibe in the room at the end of the day, told me, that maybe together, we can.
 
If you have any questions or comments I am very interested in hearing them.  Please email me, Chloe Faught, at Chloe.Faught@gmail.com.

Submitted by Chole Faught, Link Member