“Today is a remarkable day. Today, we come together, as a global community, across continents, faiths and cultures, to renew our commitment to ending the AIDS pandemic – once and for all,” said Obama at a World AIDS Day event at George Washington University. Today marks the 33rd World AIDS Day.
World AIDS Day isn’t just about the 1.2 million Americans infected with this virus or those who become infected everyday. It’s about the people of the world coming together to solve a problem we all face in our lives – through ourselves, our friends, our families, and our communities.
In Vietnam, over 222,000 people are infected with HIV/AIDS. In Tanzania, where I visited this summer, over 1.4 million are suffering from this virus. This isn’t a dilemma of America, it’s a dilemma of the world.
Although stigma and ignorance still surround HIV/AIDS, take today to learn more about this issue and educate others to prevent it from spreading. The lack of sexual education for women results in increasing numbers, in addition to drug use and unsafe sex worker practices. The only way to change and rise above is to take action.
In Vietnam, Nguyen Minh Tuan, a student at Van Lang University in Saigon, Vietnam, created a dress out of 700 condoms as part of his graduation project titled “Breaking The Condom Taboo.” Creativity is his tool to educate others about the issue of HIV/AIDS, and condoms are his platform to exemplify a solution to the problem. What will you do to spread the word and educate?
Watch more of Nguyen Minh Tuan’s project below.
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