Amidst Carnival celebrations...Belize Red Cross teaches about HIV/AIDS

The "Together We Can" (TWC) project has made a conscious effort in spreading the awareness of its presence in Belize.

On September 10 th , 2004 TWC members, volunteers and Red Cross staff gathered on Vernon Street compound to begin the assembly of its float for their contribution to the September 11 th Carnival parade.

The initial idea was to come out with something original that would display several key messages of TWC. One which was " Together We Can- fight against the spread of HIV/AIDS" and share information with the young and old; secondly the theme for TWC float which was " I ' m sexy but I ' m not having sex ".

This activity would also give TWC instructor trainers and peer educators an opportunity to show their creativity and to express themselves in a positive environment.

The sun was hot and not very encouraging but the hype of the September celebrations kept them motivated and carried them through the long day along with the shade of an umbrella.

With one hammer we turned the males into carpenters and the females had their first lesson on how to nail up a railing on a flat bed trailer. The sun set and for some the day was over while others worked through the night to make sure everything was ready for the following day.

On the day of the Carnival, TWC dedicated volunteers arrived 6:30 am to complete the final preparations for the float and in a couple hours they went from having just a flat bed to having a new creation.

One of the greatest lessons learnt from this is that putting together a float takes a lot of time, energy and dedication but " together we can" make things happen. They had conflicting opinions on where the Styrofoam structure should be placed, whether in the middle or at the end of the trailer but at the end of the day they came up with a float that was as enjoyed by all.

Everyone was so impressed with the efforts that the youth put into making the float a success. The parade carried them up the Central American Boulevard and into "showers of blessing". They were soaked wet but at the end of the day they were grateful for the opportunity to share TWC with Belize .

Throughout the parade, they distributed flags with information on HIV, pamphlets on how to say no to sex, fans on disaster preparedness, beads, TWC pencils and candy.

While promoting the spirit of "Together We Can" they left their viewers wondering now what TWC is and their youth excited and even more motivated to be dedicated to a positive cause that encourages them to be original and to play their role in this long fight against HIV/AIDS stigma and discrimination.