1800 young in Medellin sensitized to HIV: a hope

Today we want to share with you, our Global Giving donors and supporters, the results of the second version of the exhibition HIV: a glance through art, that was funded with the resources crowd-sourced thanks to the GG Platform. Our partners at Comfenalco supported us with the set-up of the exhibition.

Each presentation is an artistic interpretation of the artists and shows his or her personal perception regarding the subject of HIV and does not necessarily reflect our position regarding STDs and HIV.

In the second version of our artistic exhibition that aims at increasing awareness of the HIV infection, Elly Osorio occupied the 1^st place with her series of artworks titled Ruptures. "This work represents HIV as a symbolic burden, it is defined as the emotional rupture it causes and the process while the person vanishes for himself and for society, art helps to transform that reality and question it, so my work brings out an illness replete with myths, ruptures and for some surrealists, causing society to perpetuate discrimination against these people, making them almost invisible ", said the artist.

Carolina Zapata Vargas obtained the second place with her work using the technique collage with pills. The artist describes her work in this way: "Antirretroviral therapy (ART) has saved thousands of lives around the world, before people knew who was living with HIV / AIDS, many people died. Today, thanks to medications, people with HIV / AIDS have increased life expectancy and life quality. This work reflects both the amount and the variety of pills that should be taken daily by a person living with HIV and also alludes to the adherence that must be observed by those who require such therapy, which is essential for the treatment to be successful. It also exhibits the therapeutic value, both individually and jointly, of the drugs that make up what was called the “cocktail” (...). The faces represent those who live with a virus, the one who has suffered the consequences of a disease, but who undoubtedly has a life as personal as yours and mine".

John Anderson Arango Sáenz presented three photographic works, of which our panel of judges selected two titled "The others mine" and "And now my life smells like a flower". These are some sections of how the artist presented his work: "The photographic images (...) are part of the PARTIENDO DE SERO project, a chain of positive stories, the result of joint work between the therapeutic group of people living and living with HIV and the RASA Foundation. These photos are part of the photographic exhibition that bears the same name and includes, mostly, life stories shared with the writer Roberto Restrepo Restrepo and whose narrative, mostly, was drawn up by him. (...) The result is a text that seeks to portray some of the different realities that are lived around the dignity of HIV (...). The text and its photographs invite the rupture of imaginaries and stereotypes around sexuality, diversity, love, family relationships, suffering and the aspects that touch us as human beings (...) These photographs seek to illustrate, transmit, communicate and invite to broaden the view in front of a condition of life surrounded by myths. (...) "

Thank you again for helping us make this second artistic exhibition a success and for endorsing our mission of sensitizing and educating about the HIV infection!

We want to use this last report to thank you, our donors, who constantly supported us in our first project ever partnering with GlobalGiving: "1800 young in Medellín sensitized to HIV: a hope"

It is thanks to your generous donations that the SiFuturo Foundation received over 6000 USD in donations since the year 2015. During that time, we were able to meet all the goals we set this project that began its implementation phase in 2016. Here a short recap of the activities we were able to drive: 

• We managed to reach 1950 students with face-to-face workshops on HIV, STDs and sexual and reproductive health.
• We designed an itinerant educational exhibition (Know and decide) with and for young people. We impacted 5907 young people in various educational institutions in the city of Medellín. 
• We made our first call to artists for the first version of the artistic exhibition "HIV: a look through art", which was exhibited for a month together with Comfenalco Antioquia and had more than 3500 attendees
• We are happy with the achievements and teachings we had thanks to this project, which would not have been possible without your support.

After all this achievements, it makes sense for us to give this project a closure and move forward with our next challenge. For that aim, we need your help!

We would like to invite you to continue accompanying us in our next project partnering with GlobalGiving: "EDUCATING ONE PERSON, SAVES MANY FROM HIV", which will be aimed at young people from the surrounding, underprivileged rural areas near Medellín. 

The goals of this new project include:

1. Reaching 1500 young people with direct workshops,
2. Take our educational exhibition "Know and decide" to various educational institutions in these surrounding municipalities
3. Make a new call for artists for the second version of the exhibition "HIV: A look through art",
4. Design an educational video that we can continue sharing with various educational institutions.

We launched this project only 22 days ago and we are still far from reaching our goals. We would very much appreciate your help and feel free to share the project with your friends and family!

We have seen our hope for 2015 come true: today we have many more young people sensitized about the HIV infection and who will be protected thanks to your help, but...we still have a lot of work to do!

Go check the video of this new project here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4-nejupwUgU&t=9s