Curaçao Red Cross to put 'Faces' on telephone cards

It’s in schools and cinemas, on buses and tee-shirts, and soon telephone cards.

That’s how the Faces campaign will reach the people of Curaçao.

The campaign was officially launched there on December 21 during a press conference at the Post Suffisant headquarters of the Curaçao branch of the Netherlands Red Cross (NLRC).

The campaign, with funding from USONA, will be run for the next six months with a special focus on those who are sexually active.

The overall goals are HIV/AIDS prevention, and reduce the stigma and discrimination of the persons living with HIV/AIDS, their family and friends.

Four Faces were presented to media, volunteers and invited guests at the launch.  The text on the posters, ‘Nobody has the truth written on their face. Protect yourself. Use a condom’ has been translated into papiamentu, the local language of Curaçao, English, Spanish and Dutch.

Miss Teen Curaçao, Giani Webster, and the lead singer of popular local music band Tune, Quintiny Tomaso, will serve as campaign ambassadors. Other ambassadors, one with a sporting background and a person living with HIV/AIDS, are being sought.

The build up to the launch began on World AIDS Day, December 1, as Red Cross HIV/AIDS volunteers spoke on radio and television shows about the campaign.

On December 19, secondary schools received posters of the four Faces, and a television spot was released.

Public awareness will be raised through four public buses. Each will have the Faces at the back and sides. Three billboards have also been placed at strategic locations. Two are currently in front the Red Cross headquarters.

Tee-shirts, stickers and brochures are being printed for distribution just before the Carnival period.

At two cinemas, slides will be shown before the start of movies. The television spot will be shown on different channels and three volunteers will be invited every Monday to talk about HIV/AIDS and related topics.

The Curaçao Overseas Branch is in contact with the UTS Telephone Company and plans are being made to put a face and a specific HIV message on the back of their prepaid cards.