The Tibetan Association of Boston hosted the maiden HIV/AIDS awareness and fund-raising event in North America in collaboration with CHOICE – HIV/AIDS Initiative. The event was designed to create awareness among Tibetans in Boston about the HIV/AIDS situation in the Tibetan community, both in exile and in Tibet. In addition to providing information about HIV/AIDS among Tibetans, the event also raised nearly $6,000. Tibetans in Boston were the primary donors.
All the funds raised from this event will go to CHOICE and Kunphen, the two NGOs working on HIV/AIDS in the Tibetan community, and will be used for providing care and support for Tibetans living with HIV/AIDS.
Tenzin Nyesang Bayul, MPH-EpiBio, began the program by presenting her survey of Tibetans in Dharamsala about their knowledge, attitude, and behaviors regarding HIV/AIDS. She found that many of the Tibetans surveyed held negative attitudes about persons living with HIV/AIDS. More than 40% of the Tibetans in the study believed that individuals with HIV/AIDS deserved to be infected because they indulged in “bad” behavior. Moreover, a large number of Tibetans in the survey believed that the names of persons with HIV/AIDS should be made public, despite the stigma and discrimination.
Dr. Tenzin Namdul, Executive Director of CHOICE, talked about how vulnerable Tibetans inside and outside of Tibet are to HIV. He said the spread of HIV/AIDS is just as dangerous for the Tibetan community as the brutal human right abuses in Tibet. “The situation is urgent, given the increasing number of Tibetans who have become infected by HIV.”
At the end of the program, four young Tibetans captivated the audience with their poetry recitations on the issues surrounding HIV/AIDS.
Dr. Namdul expressed his thanks to the Tibetan Association of Boston and all the volunteers for working together to conduct this significant event. Dr. Namdul also thanked Tenzin Nyesang Bayul, her family, and friends for their commitment in holding the event.
CHOICE is looking for partners in organizing similar events in North America in order to empower the Tibetan people. His Holiness the Dalai Lama had said, “AIDS can become a peril to our society if we do not take preventative measures from now.”
If you are interested in working with CHOICE to conduct an educational program and fund raiser about HIV/AIDS, please contact us through our web site: http://www.tibetanaidsinfo.org/
