Today the AIDS Commission donated 5 food packages to 4 organizations whose primary role is to support persons living with HIV and AIDS. The organizations include Hand in Hand Ministries, Belize Family Life Association, Collaborative Network for persons living with HIV and AIDS and Empowering Youth Belize Movement. Tomorrow is celebrated as World AIDS day but the Commission wanted to get an early start with this handing over. We found how important good nutrition is for HIV/AIDS patients.
Enrique Romero, Executive Director, National Aids Commission
"Today we are commemorating World Aids Day even though the official day is tomorrow December 1st , however the National Aids Commission commemorating today, and we are embarked on a new project which is to get together nutritional packages which we handed over this morning to civil society organizations who work directly with persons infected or affected by HIV and AIDS."
"The package include various food items, we have a sack of rice so we distribute that to the organizations and in turn will provide it to persons living with HIV and AIDS."
"Every time we talk about HIV and AIDS, the first thing that comes to mind is medication and Ministry of Health, HIV is beyond just the medication. There are several factors, you have laws you have human rights, you have stigma discrimination, you have nutritional support that are factors that can contribute to addressing a person's holistic need as an HIV patient so what we did rather than…well we do have testing because our theme for this year is know your status so we are promoting and advocating for people to get tested however we felt the need to give back directly to persons living with HIV and AIDS through these nutritional packages."
HIV testing was done countrywide today and testing continues only in Belize City tomorrow from 9 to 2 at Constitution Park. A total of 130 food packages were distributed to organizations countrywide.
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