PHILIPSBURG--The 2009 Stronger Together Red Ribbon campaign netted US $46,242 for HIV/AIDS awareness in St. Maarten.
The amount raised surpasses the US $25,000 goal and brings the total amount netted in the campaign’s four-year history to US $130,000. Almost half the funds raised in 2009 were donated by Scotiabank.
An oversize cheque bearing the amount collected was turned over to St. Maarten HIV/AIDS Foundation President Dr. Gerard van Osch during a ceremony at Scotiabank on Wednesday.
Scotiabank Country Manager Elie Bendaly was thankful to those who had supported the campaign in 2009. He singled out Leader of Government Commissioner William Marlin for his personal efforts in the campaign. Marlin raised a total of US $9,000 in a challenge he had issued to the public in two mini radio-thons.
Bendaly said a lot of work had been put into the campaign, and many partners had to be credited for its success. Planning for the 2010 campaign will start “very soon,” he said, and the team will again be knocking on doors as it seeks to raise more money for HIV/AIDS. “We are not sure of the goal as yet, but it will again be a challenging one.”
AIDS Foundation President Dr. Gerard Van Osch, who said the foundation would be celebrating its 20th anniversary this year, outlined the various programmes the foundation had been involved in last year, and elucidated on some of the projects planned for this year.
Among the 2010 projects is setting up a Secretariat and an office with permanent and paid staff to increase the foundation’s visibility and to reach more persons, Van Osch said.
He added that the foundation would also continue its awareness programme with commercial sex workers, expand its Girl Power awareness programme by taking it into more schools, include a programme for boys, and work with the St. Maarten HIV/AIDS Programme Management Team (PMT) to organise five public testing days. The foundation held two testing days last year. The foundation will also team up with partners to celebrate the International Candlelight memorial this year. There was no celebration in 2009.
The foundation also offers assistance to Persons Living with HIV and AIDS, works with support group Helping Ourselves in a Positive Environment (HOPE) and runs several community outreach and condom distribution programmes.
Deputy Leader of Government Commissioner Theo Heyliger described as remarkable the progress St. Maarten had made over the years in HIV/AIDS awareness. He remembered hearing about the virus as a child in school, and recollected the belief at that time that it would never reach St. Maarten. He commended the team involved in the campaign and said the slogan “Stronger Together” was timely.
Living with dignity was the theme of the message delivered by Health Commissioner Hyacinth Richardson. He said living with dignity required every person to take control of his or her life and to enable others to do the same by offering and receiving the right support when needed. “Life presents many problems. Solutions are seldom easy but they are always there when we are willing to look hard enough.” He commended the efforts of the individuals involved in the campaign, and of those who had supported it.
