Nov 12 - Equality Rights Group Pushes HIV Awareness Campaign
The Equality Rights Group has today launched a HIV/AIDS awareness campaign in association with events company Omi Palone, and as a lead-up to World Aids Day on 1 December. Throughout the month, a range of posters debunking basic and incorrect information on HIV/AIDS will be distributed ]as a first step in properly informing the public’.
Omi’s CEO River Pinfold and his team coined the idea of designing and distributing awareness posters as a way of leading up to an event called ‘The Red Event’ on Saturday 30th November at Dusk, Ocean Village. As a rights organisation, ERG is very keen to foster and encourage businesses with a social conscience in Gibraltar, and we’re happy to join forces with their team on this important issue.
Mr Pinfold insisted, ‘we will be donating half of our fundraising proceeds from the event to Equality Rights Group here in Gibraltar and the other half to the National Aids Trust in the UK because of the wide European work they do.’
For his part, ERG Chairman Felix Alvarez added that ‘Raising awareness and making inroads into the question of sexual health in Gibraltar is high on our list of priorities at ERG. Donations received from Omi’s ‘Red Event’ will be earmarked to setting up a project that will develop and publish informative booklets for the community on the subject of sexual health. We also look forward to progressing the issues with the Minister for Health, John Cortes, as we move towards an effective programme identifying the precise breadth and scope of local need, and whilst preserving anonymity of information, also garnering sufficiently clear data to be able to reach sectors that would most benefit. An HIV/AIDS-free generation is our goal, and if we all pull together we can do it! Because sexual health is important to and for anyone and everyone regardless of sexual orientation or gender, young and not-so-young. And where there’s a problem, we need to address it objectively, professionally and as openly as possible for our community’s sake. Transparency and information is where the task must begin! We will continue to press for that to happen. Inertia is not an option!’
