Haiti
Dispelling Discrimination Month by Month
 In
collaboration with the Haitian organization Promoteurs
Objectif Zero SIDA (POZ) and Haitian artists affiliated
with the AfricAmerica foundation, USAID's Health Communication
Project (HCP)/Haiti produced a series of collages depicting
the lives of people living with HIV/AIDS and their families.
Seventy-three such individuals participated in stigma- and
discrimination-reduction workshops held in several Haitian
cities, including Jérémie, Jacmel, Cap Haitien, St. Marc and
Montrouis. This activity was financed by the President's Emergency
Plan for AIDS Relief which is implemented by USAID in collaboration
with the Centers for Disease Control (CDC).
With assistance from the AIDS Alliance, AfricAmerica and POZ,
participants created inspiring works of art describing their experiences
with HIV/AIDS and their hopes for the future. Many of the participants
gave voice to their struggle during the workshops:
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"I will hold my head up and speak out against all kind
of discrimination." - Malia
"The more you remain silent, the more you suffer."
- Marc Arthur
"I want to live long enough to see my children growing."
- Marie Stephani
"I want to be healthy so I can live with my husband
and children." - Kaline
"Laws that will protect our rights are our only hope."
- Glainy
"I love my family, I love my husband. I am protecting
them. I use condom." - Guerdi |
 Among
the 73 pieces produced in the workshops, 13 were chosen for
display in the Visages calendar, which serves as an educational
tool to decrease stigma and discrimination against people infected
with the virus. Five thousand dollars generated from calendar
sales was used to fortify POZ's care and support program. The
privately-owned Haitian printing company Editions Areytos
contributed funds to offset the cost of producing the calendars,
and Haitian musical group Kompa Kreyol made a financial
contribution to the calendar's launch event held at the Hotel
Montana in Port-au-Prince.
Through activities like the calendar project and the stigma-elimination
workshops, HCP and its partners provide people living with
HIV/AIDS opportunities to learn new skills in a safe and dynamic
environment. By working together on projects like the collages,
workshop participants develop new bonds of friendship and
trust. This trust, in turn, promotes open discussions about
the impact HIV/AIDS has had on their daily lives as well as
those of their families.
To learn more about USAID/Haiti, visit http://www.usaid.gov/ht.
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