Lentera shares AIDS information with housewives

SLEMAN, Yogyakarta (JP): Women of the Ngaglik neighborhood recently enjoyed an unusual arisan (informal lottery) as they gathered at the house of the community unit chief.

Those who participated not only had a chance to win this month's cash, but also heard a discussion on AIDS presented by four Lentera volunteers.

Armed with condoms and charts, Afif Syakur, Lentera's team leader at the discussion, presented his lecture to some 30 enthusiastic women sitting on plastic mats.

Speaking in Javanese, Afif began by explaining that Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS) is caused by the Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV).

"Why are people afraid of AIDS?" he asked.

None of the women responded. Afif continued by saying that HIV attacks the body's immune system, rendering it incapable of fighting most illnesses.

"Jamu kados punapa kemawon ngantos sak punika dereng saged dados tamba", he said in Javanese, meaning that jamu, the traditional herbal medicine, no matter how powerful it is, cannot cure the syndrome.

"So how can it be overcome?" asked one woman. "What are the symptoms, what are they like?" asked another.

Afif quickly answered the questions, telling the women that HIV can be transmitted through unsafe sexual intercourse and blood transfusions.

He also told the women that men who frequent brothels are among those at the greatest risk of being infected by HIV or infecting others with the virus.

"One way to prevent the spread of AIDS is to make your husbands happy to stay at home," he said. "If you can, make yourselves beautiful after you wake up in the morning, so that your husbands will be happy to see you," he added.

Then came the "condom session." Afif displayed a condom to the women.

"Is it okay if I open it?" he asked. "I know that you're all grown up." Some women started to blush.

A lively discussion continued with Afif telling the women that using condoms is one of the effective ways to prevent the spread of HIV. Some women also asked questions about what to do if their husbands were unwilling to use it.

"Just put it on them," one woman said.

Afif closed the session by asking the women to share their thoughts.

A woman confided: "I want to practice (using the condom)."

Her spontaneous remark drew cheerful responses from the others. (par)