People living with HIV-AIDS Celebrate World AIDS Day and Christmas
English version (Tetum below)
The Timor-Leste network of People Living with HIV held a wonderful party on 18th December at the premises of Timor Aid. More than 40 people living with HIV celebrated life, and remembered loved ones, together with friends and supporters from the Timor Aid, Progressio, the National AIDS Commision, Fundasuan Timor Harii (FTH), Timor-Leste Red Cross (CVTL), Bairo Pite Clinic, the Ministry of Health and SSpS Congregation in Timor-Leste.
The Estrela+ group originally began in 2006, in those days supported entirely by CWS and known as Esperanca. Over the years the group gained in experience and felt the need to be both a support network as well as an advocacy organisation, and managed entirely by people living with HIV. In 2009 the group changed the name to Estrela+ and has been recognised at national level. Since that time the group has gone from strength to strength holding a seat on the National AIDS Commission (NAC), and the Country Coordinating Mechanism (CCM) for the Global Fund and other networks throughout the country. Internationally Estrela+ is also a member of the Asia-Pacific Network of People Living with HIV (APN+) and has strong ties with sister organisation Bali+, and they participate in international conferences such as the World AIDS Conference which took place in Vienna in 2010. The group has three aims;
· to represent themselves and the needs of People Living with HIV at a National and International level
· to advocate to reduce stigma and discrimination through awareness raising in the community;
· to support people living with HIV to live longer stronger lives, by helping to educate members on the excellent medical programme of the Ministry of Health and the importance of regular medical check up and adherance to medication.
A spokesperson for the group says “it is very important that people with HIV, like us, understand our condition, because these days drugs are available to help us to stay strong and healthy. Estrela+ is working with the MOH to promote the adherence to special medicine called ARV which helps to suppress the virus. Many people think there is no cure for HIV, but they forget that drugs are available to help us live longer stronger lives. In Timor-Leste we are lucky because the drugs are free to Timorese citizens.”
The CEO of FTH and Vice Chair of the NAC says, “The Estrela+ group has worked very hard to establish close links with all national organisations, the NAC and CCM and the Ministry of Health, and to offer guidance and consultation in policy development. We, who do not have HIV, have to listen to the members of this group as they can guide us in providing appropriate services."
CEO of Timor Aid, Sra Rosalia says "Timor Aid is proud to support Estrela+ in their further development to become the national support and advocacy network for, and by, people living with HIV. We are happy to host this event and are committed to continuing support for the group as they take the final steps toward full national official registration as an NGO and beyond."........End
Tetun version
Estrela Selebra Loron Mundiál SIDA no Natal
Rede Timor-Leste ba ema moris ho HIV hala’o festa kmanek ida iha loron 18, fulan-Dezembru, iha Timor Aid nia fatin. Ema na’in 40 resin ne’ebé moris ho HIV selebra moris, no hanoin ba sira ne’ebé mak sira hadomi, hamutuk ho belun no apoiante sira husi Timor Aid, Progressio, Komisaun Nasionál SIDA, Fundasuan Timor Harii (FTH), Cruz Vermella Timor-Leste (CVTL), Klinika Bairo Pite,Ministériu da Saúde no Kongregasaun SSpS.
Grupu Estrela+ orijinalmente hahú iha tinan 2006,iha loron hirak ne’é hetan apoia tomak husi CWS no oras ne’e bolu naran Esperanca. Grupu ne’e hetan esperiénsia iha tinan barak no sente presiza apoiu rede rua-ne’e hotu no mós organizasaun advókasia ida no jere tomak husi ema ne’ebé moris ho HIV. Iha tinan 2009 grupu ne’e troka tiha naran ba Estrela+ no hetan tiha rekoñesimentu iha nivel nasionál. Dezde tempu ne’e grupu ne’e asumi tiha pozisaun forte iha Komisaun Nasionál SIDA (NAC), no iha Mekanizmu Kordenasaun País (CCM) ba Global Fund no rede sira seluk iha País tomak. Internasionalmente Estrela+mós membru Rede Ema Moris ho HIV Ázia Pasífiku nian (APN+) no iha relasaun forte ho sister organisation Bali+, no sira partisipa iha konferénsia internasionál hanesan Konferensia SIDA Mundiál ne’ebé hala’o iha Vienna iha tinan 2010. Grupu ne’e iha alvu tolu;
· Atu reprezenta sira nia an no nesesidade sira Ema Moris ho HIV nian iha nivel Nasionál no Internasionál
· Hala’o advókasia hodi hamenus stigma no diskriminasaun liuhosi hasa’e koñesimentu iha komunidade;
· Fó-apoiu ba ema ne’ebé moris ho HIV hodi moris naruk no forte liu, liu hosi eduka membru sira konabá programa médiku ne’ebé di’ak liu husi Ministériu Saúde nian no importansia ezame médiku regular no halo tuir medikasaun nian.
Portavóz ba grupu ne’e dehan “importante katak ema ne’ebé moris ho HIV, hanesan ita, komprende ita-nia kondisaun, tan loron hirak-ne’e ai-moruk sira iha atu ajuda ita sai forte no saudavel. Estrela+servisu hamutuk ho MdS hodi promove ai-moruk espesiál bolu naran ARV ne’ebé ajuda hatún virus. Ema barak hanoin katak la bele kura HIV, maibé sira haluha katak ai-moruk iha atu ajuda ita moris naruk no forte liu. Ita sorte katak iha Timor-Leste ai-moruk ne’e gratuita ba sidadaun sira.”
CEO FTH nian noVise Prezidente NAC nian dehan, “Grupu Estrela+ servisu maka’as tiha ona hodi estabelese ligasaun besik ho organizasaun nasionál sira hotu, NAC no CCM no Ministériu da Saúde, no oferese matadalan no konsultasaun ba iha dezenvolvimentu polítika nian. Ami, ne’ebé la hetan HIV, tenke rona ba membru grupu ida-ne’e nian tan sira bele hatudu dalan mai ita hodi fornese servisu sira ne’ebé apropriadu."
CEO Timor Aid nian, Sra Rosalia hateten "Timor Aid prontu atu fó-apoiu ba Estrela+iha sira-nia dezenvolvimentu ba oin hodi sai rede advókasia no apoiu nasionál ba no liu hosi ema ne’ebé moris ho HIV. Ami kontente hodi sai uma-na’in ba eventu ida-ne’e no iha kompromisu hodi kontinua apoiu ba grupu tan sira iha ona faze ikus nian ba rejistu ofisiál nasionál kompletu nian nu’udar ONG ida no ultrapasa."........Ramata
See also:
Homosexuality in East Timor
Timor Leste Red Cross excludes homosexuals from HIV-AIDS Reduction Program
HIV-AIDS and Homophobia in Timor-Leste
No comments:
Post a Comment