Lentera shares AIDS information with housewives

Wed, 18 May 1994, 00:00 WIB | Source: JP

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.