Around
300 runners ran for AIDS in Beirut, Lebanon, 2 December 2005.
The Run for AIDS awareness campaign was organized by the Lebanese
Red Cross Youth club of the American University of Beirut (AUB),
and the runners were all members of the AUB community. What
was remarkable about this event was that it joined together
faculty, staff and students, despite their differences, through
a common mission – the hope of enlightening their community
to reduce the spread of HIV.
The run for AIDS, organized for the second year in a row, is
becoming an AUB tradition. It was set up as a mini-marathon
on the University campus, with panels and displays around the
track containing myths and common misconceptions related to
HIV/AIDS. The panels also displayed artwork by people living
with HIV/AIDS (PLWHA), in addition to recent statistics concerning
the number of declared cases of HIV in Lebanon and in the world.
Information and facts about how HIV is and isn’t transmitted
was also given out to students around campus. Among the information
included was the fact that HIV is not transmitted through mosquito
bites or by using the same toilets.
Throughout this campaign, the Lebanese Red Cross Youth club’s
main goal was to increase people’s awareness of HIV/AIDS
and acceptance of PLWHA as human beings who are not a threat
to society and who they need our support rather than our judgments.
Moreover, the panels advertised for the AIDS hotline, an upcoming
project that is part of the HIV/AIDS programme of the Lebanese
Red Cross Youth Department. The hotline aims to provide information
about HIV/AIDS and related subjects to all the people. The goal
is to increase the general awareness about HIV/AIDS by explaining
the dangers and means of transmission, and diminish other misconceptions
related to the virus.
After the run for AIDS, the runners gathered to show their solidarity
with PLWHA. The green field was decorated with balloons forming
the shape of a large AIDS ribbon in the centre. The runners
replicated this shape, lining up in the same shape to form a
human AIDS ribbon, while carrying red umbrellas over their heads.
The event attracted large media coverage, including local and
international newspapers such as the Daily Star, l’Orient
Le Jour, Annahar, Al-Diyar, Al-Anwar and many others that rushed
to witness the special event. It also noticed the honorary participation
of AUB’s president, Dr. John Waterbury and his wife Sara
Waterbury, Dean of Student Affairs Maroun Kisirwani, Director
of Student Affairs Wadad El-Husseiny, and the Director of Information
and Public Relation Ibrahim El-Khoury.
Runners received a package containing a t-shirt with the campaign’s
slogan, “Spread the Message… Not the Virus”
on the back, and a set of HIV/AIDS related brochures. They also
received the red umbrellas used for the formation of the Human
Ribbon.
In short, the Run for AIDS was a big success., as it increased
the general awareness of HIV/AIDS and the percentage of the
AUB community who no longer look at HIV/AIDS as a taboo, while
also uniting the University community through a common goal.
Andy Warhol once said: “They always say time changes things,
but you actually have to change them yourself!” This event
is a great example of a group of people actively going out to
make that difference and facilitate the change!
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| The
Run for AIDS was arranged by the Lebanese Red Cross Youth
club of the American University of Beirut for the second
year in a row. |
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| Balloons
in the shape of the AIDS ribbon were used to decoracte
the field... |
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| ...and
after the run, the participants gather to form a Human
Ribbon using red umbrellas. |
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