New Zealanders are being asked to give generously in either today's World AIDS Day street collections, or online. New Zealand AIDS Foundation staff and a wide range of volunteers are out collecting, while donations can also be made online. Make a donation here Proceeds are split between the Wellness Fund for people living with HIV, and the NZAF. The Wellness Fund helps a range of HIV positive people with a variety of diverse needs, from helping them get off the streets to medical and dental support. Read more about the Wellness Fund here Auckland’s collection will feature the annual World AIDS Day “pub run” from Britomart and the Viaduct to Ponsonby Rd between 5PM and 7PM. It will be led by drag divas Miss Ribena and Tess Tickle, supported by the Love Your Condom promo boys. Family Bar is also asking for gold coin donations for entry to the final of its hotly-contested Princess to Queen competition tonight, with the cash raised going to the collection. This year the World AIDS Day theme is “zero discrimination” and the collections are also being used to help raise awareness of the stigma the more than 2,000 New Zealanders with HIV still face daily. The NZAF says the stigma around HIV causes some people to avoid being tested even when they have been at risk through unsafe sex. It says it can also cause people living with HIV to be shunned by friends and family and treated badly by some employers. They commissioned Colmar Brunton research which found at least three quarters of New Zealanders know how HIV can and cannot be transmitted, but many were uncomfortable sharing a drinking glass or living with a person living with HIV. “When you dig into the detail a disturbing picture emerges,” says New Zealand AIDS Foundation Executive Director Shaun Robinson. “We found that while people had good knowledge about HIV this didn’t correspond to how they acted towards people living with the virus. For example while 80 per cent were correct in saying you can’t get HIV by sharing food 50 per cent were uncomfortable having food prepared by someone with HIV, 96 per cent said correctly that you can’t get HIV by hugging but 52 per cent wouldn’t like a child to play with another child who had HIV.” An anti-stigma campaign video of people with HIV sharing their stories has had more than 1,500 views on YouTube so far. Watch it below
Credit: GayNZ.com Daily News staff
First published: Friday, 28th November 2014 - 9:50am