"I'm a student and I'm not scared of AIDS!"

Partners of the project were youth centre “Socium 21 century”, All-Ukrainian Network of PLWH, M1 Channel, and Kiev AIDS Centre. It was also supported by world condoms’ producers - TM Contex and TM Durex.

All participants of the project got black posters promoting safe sex, informative flayers, set of three fashionable pocket calendars and stickers for the cell phones made in the same design. All these materials were designed under ANTIAIDS Foundation request especially for students’ project. Youth center “Socium 21 century” was responsible for trainings and meetings with experts. They were in the context of the partnership project “Get tested in your University”. By means of mobile laboratories Kiev AIDS Center organized HIV testing among students and ANTIAIDS Foundation provided 1600 informative flayers and 1600 Contex condoms in the black fashionable “antiaids design” wrappings. Each person got it after HIV testing. Exhibition dedicated to HIV-positive orphans’ lives was prepared by ANTIAIDS Foundation and placed in several Universities.

But the main events took place in two Universities – Institute of International Relationships named after T. Shevchenko andNational O.O. Bogomolets medical University.

ANTIAIDS Foundation and student parliament of Medical University organized meeting with one of the top Ukrainian HIV/AIDS experts Igor Oliyniyk. Students of the Medical University heaped questions on the guest they as future doctors are exited with. How doctor can be protected from HIV infection? Have a patient to inform a doctor about his HIV-status? What are the rates of AIDS epidemic in the world and Ukraine? Why should medical student be interested in HIV/AIDS? The best question got a present from ANTIAIDS Foundation – calendar from the Love Fashion AID project. All participants of the meeting got fashionable Contex condoms in the “antiaids design” wrapping.

Presenters of the M1 Channel Karolina Ashion and Andrej Kishe, and Natalia Podlesnaya, SAAPF Director, came at the meeting with IIR students organized by Charitable IIR Department and ANTIAIDS Foundation. It was started with provocation – M1 presenters made a real show, travelling through the hall with the microphone and suggesting to use “new unique method” – to determine HIV-status according to the outward signs. “Black art” séance was finished by total exposure – Karolina and Andrej told why it is impossible to diagnose HIV-status by sight, and why only HIV-test can determine HIV virus. Guests diswwcussed with students questions asked sooner or later: is it worth to make HIV-test and for what? Where and how it can be done? How to live if you are HIV-positive? Why it is senseless to be afraid of HIV-positive people? Some participants were shocked by presence in the hall of HIV-positive person that was ready to tell about his life and answer all the questions frankly. Dima is very successful businessman that gives active help and support to other HIV-positive people. And his speech was a revelation to many people – it turns out life could be successful and happy even with HIV diagnosis.

IIR became the first University in Ukraine that not only conducts regularly events devoted to the fight against AIDS, but also possesses condoms in the wrapping created especially for its students. There are two designs – “Love me, I’m safe” and“Love me, I’m in KIMO” – created by ANTIAIDS Foundation and TM Durex especially for IIR students and delivered before World AIDS Day.

Meeting of M1 newsmakers and IIR students was the second organized by ANTIAIDS and Charitable IIR Department, - M1 newsmakers Vasya Frolova and Dmitriy  Shepelev were guests of the Institute in 2007.

For detailed information, please, contact Pavel Piminov, Communications Director, Elena Franchuk ANTIAIDS Foundation on e-mail: [email protected]. Contact phone number: +38 (044) 490 4805.