On the 1-st of June, the MTV Staying Alive Foundation officially announced that the Regional Roma Educational Youth Association (RROMA) from Kratovo, Macedonia will receive a grant for implementing an awareness campaign on HIV/AIDS and STI (sexual transmitted infections). After the grant was received RROMA started to build the capacities of their youth in creativity and campaigning and to prepare them for the following activities regarding the campaign. Also, a research was conducted in six communities to create a data about HIV/AIDS knowledge, which can be later used and up-dated after the campaign ends.
It is for the first time a NGO from Macedonia to receive such support and it is also a Roma NGO for the first time receiving the Award for June 2010 from MTV SAF. Starting from today, RROMA officially announced the campaign "AIDS doesn't know about discrimination ... Protect yourself!"
The Project goal is to improve the knowledge within the Roma community that considers AIDS, HIV and STD as a taboo theme. Working regional on this project will help to reach out to six Roma communities and improve their knowledge about HIV transmitting. The awareness campaign will not only improve knowledge, but also promote positive values about the Roma community and promote them as agents of change and people that care about their health and the health of the others that live together with them in the society. By addressing and lobby in front of the Ministry for Health, they fight against the AIDS and HIV stigma, but also against the stigma that people have for this community.
In this project, the RROMA youth from Kratovo, Probistip, Kocani, Vinica, Berovo and Veles will have the opportunity to lead a fight against the stereotypes of HIV/AIDS. Fighting against those stereotypes, they are also fighting against their own barriers and barriers that society has for them and together with their peers they will try to break the Stigma for everyone.
“They want to show society that, they are not looking passive from around the corner. They want to do more than belong, they want to participate. That is why the share the concern about this threat together with their peers. And the name of the campaign is “AIDS doesn’t know about discrimination … Protect yourself!” – said Mustafa Jakupov, director of RROMA.
Starting from today, RROMA will conduct an awareness campaign based on creativity and using social media. There will be a lot of creative actions, videos, theater, role-playing, comic drawing, awareness workshops, data researches etc.
