ASPIRE NOW!
3 Day HIV/AIDS Exhibition to Commemorate World AIDS Day, 2007

The St. Lucia National Organization of Women (NOW) is a voluntary umbrella organization comprising a vibrant membership of women and girls in twenty six (26) women’s groups. The diversity of NOW brings with it tremendous strength, as members have often volunteered to assist in projects and activities. NOW is, thus, very strong in mobilizing at the grass roots level. Its administrative work is facilitated through the office of CAFRA St. Lucia.
Advocates for Safe Parenthood; Improving Reproductive Equity (ASPIRE) (St Lucia) is part of a regional network which facilitates the training of its members so that they can do advocacy and action related to sexual and reproductive health and rights with a special focus on abortion.
ASPIRE operates in four Caribbean countries including St Lucia. The organisation has a lot of experience in planning and executing programmes and activities related to the sexual and reproductive health of women.
Both NOW and ASPIRE have been actively engaged in various projects and initiatives which serve to protect the dignity and human rights of women. The organizations are very concerned about the feminization of the AIDS epidemic in St. Lucia. It is for that reason that they are now hosting a three day exhibition at the Castries Town Hall from November 27 to December 1 to commemorate World AIDS Day 2007. The exhibition which will feature a poster display sponsored by Alliance Francaise and NAP brings together all the different agencies which work on issues related to sexual and reproductive health and rights as well as those agencies involved in HIV and AIDS interventions to encourage society, especially women and girls to act decisively in combating HIV and AIDS. Action includes encouraging persons to get tested for HIV, practising safer methods to prevent HIV, talking about HIV prevention with family, friends and colleagues and providing support to those living with HIV/AIDS.

It is expected that the exhibition will help de-stigmatize the epidemic and encourage persons to regard AIDS as any other disease. The interactive display addresses all areas of HIV/AIDS intervention and information available locally.

“TAKE THE TEST, TAKE CONTROL” CAMPAIGN
The National AIDS Programme of the Ministry of Health recently launched a “Take the Test, Take Control” Campaign. The campaign is a public awareness and community mobilization operation promoting the importance of early HIV detection, counseling, referral, treatment, and prevention services. It is in response to the increasing number of new infections among different sections of the population, as well as to the growing apathy of persons knowing their HIV serostatus. A very deliberate attempt is, therefore, being made to encourage voluntary participation in HIV testing and counseling services for all St Lucians.
Although early detection of HIV is extremely important in preventing the spread of the virus and thus in saving lives, a lot of St Lucians do not know their HIV serostatus. The National AIDS Programme, therefore, urges everybody to get tested so they can learn their status, protect their partners, and seek appropriate care and medications to keep themselves and their loved ones healthy and well. That is the aim of the “Take the Test, Take Control” Campaign started ahead of World AIDS Day 2007.
HIV testing usually involves a simple blood draw and is highly accurate and reliable. Rapid tests using a finger stick drop of blood are also done.
“Take the Lead. Take the Test. Take Control”