Candle Light Day

Candle Light Day is celebrated annually and internationally on the third Sunday in May. The purpose of this day is to honor those who have died as a result of AIDS, but also to express our support for those living with HIV. Around the world, thousands of people mark this day. For our team, this commemoration is one of the most important of the year, a time when the entire community comes together for a solemn moment of support for our brothers and sisters who have passed away too soon, but also to bring comfort to those who are still fighting.

 

READ MORE

SDP “Support Don’t Punish”

“Support Don’t Punish” day marked annually on June 26 is the most important campaign in our fight. Launched in 2013, the “Support. Don’t Punish” is a global community initiative to support harm reduction and include health and human rights in drug policy. Through various actions in more than 90 countries in 2020, activists committed to harm reduction and human rights protection are campaigning against discrimination and stigmatization. The goal is to achieve policy changes to eliminate repressive laws that criminalize people who use drugs. People who use drugs must be supported and accompanied in their addictions and not punished and marginalized. The fight against drugs is an invisible war in which users are the victims. Support. Not Pinir.

In 2020, given the context of the pandemic, the campaign was conducted online. With a series of testimonies about the realities that women in the community live. Discover their messages :

We also participated in a video on discrimination made by CUT:

READ MORE
A.I.L.E.S

International Hepatitis C Day

This day is celebrated annually on July 28. It is important to know that in the world, 290 million people live with viral hepatitis without knowing it.

During 5 days, a campaign was conducted online offering information on hepatitis C. Campaign visuals
A training session on transmission factors, symptoms and treatment was provided to field workers, peer educators and partner organizations.

READ MORE
A.I.L.E.S

International Drug Overdose Awareness Day

2020 Campaign: “Time to remember, time to act

Established in 2001, by the Salvation Army in Australia, International Overdose Awareness Day is a global event held on August 31 each year and aims to raise awareness of overdose and reduce the stigma of drug-related deaths. AILES and CUT join forces to raise awareness among the general public, key populations and the government about this still taboo and unrecorded cause of death. In Mauritius, overdose deaths are classified as a cause of death due to pulmonary edema. To date, at the local level, no statistics are available to evaluate the number of deaths by overdose. This is an unrecognized reality that needs to be addressed, not only to reduce the risks but also to bear witness to a very real scourge.

The risk of death by overdose is real, not only for people who inject drugs but also for people who use synthetic drugs. Dozens, perhaps hundreds, of deaths could be avoided through risk reduction, notably through prevention with advice on injection methods, by recognizing symptoms and with the help of a first aid medication that is administered in the form of an intramuscular injection or inhalation, Naloxone. This drug, currently banned for private or community use in Mauritius, displaces the toxins from the receptor sites and slows the effects of intoxication and can prevent the death of the person injecting if used in time. The World Health Organization has listed Naloxone as an essential drug and recommends that countries improve access to it for people who may experience an overdose problem in their environment: friends, family members, partners of drug users, social workers and first aiders.

Another important issue to raise concerns the repercussions of assisting someone who has overdosed. Indeed, since drug use is criminalized, a person who saves another could be prosecuted for drug use, whereas in this case, it is a matter of assisting a person in danger. A change in the laws and the authorization for the use of Naloxone would save lives.
This day is also an opportunity to commemorate the loss and to pay tribute to the pain of the families and friends of those who have died by overdose.

A “position paper” has also been sent to the different ministries and the Prime Minister’s office to raise awareness of this issue.
On this occasion, a training day was also given to field workers, peer educators and partner associations to prevent risks and manage overdoses. With the support and intervention of First aiders

READ MORE
A.I.L.E.S

Moris AIDS Tour

Moris AIDS Tour is a mobile screening campaign proposed within the framework of the International Screening Week organized by Coalition Plus. The objectives of this project are

  • Accelerate the reduction of HIV to reach the goal of 90 – 90 – 90 by 2030 by proposing a mobile campaign.
  • Raise awareness among the general population and key populations on the theme of global solidarity and shared responsibility.
  • To break the taboos of screening by proposing a family and friendly event.
  • Offer screening in places where people do not have easy access to screening.
  • Obtain the support of artists to attract the maximum number of people.

For the occasion, a large bus of 60 seats, named the Express 2030

in reference to the objective 90 – 90 -90, has crisscrossed the roads

of the island over 2 days. As a reminder, this objective means that 90%

of people living with HIV have been tested and know their status; 90%

of people living with HIV are on treatment; 90% of people on treatment have an undetectable viral load, thus making the virus untransmittable.

We propose a retrospective video to discover the whole of this ambitious project;

READ MORE
A.I.L.E.S

Mwa Zero Diskriminasion

A joint campaign with CUT, Parapli Rouz and PILS to give a voice to people who are stigmatized because of their addictions, their HIV status or their employment. For the occasion, a slam was composed, inspired by the testimonies of key populations. “Nou tou inik” written by Caroline Loudes, T-Well and Kerjo from Slam Up Poetry and put into images by Kooghen Vyapooree is a cry from the heart about the stigma and discrimination suffered by people who use drugs, live with HIV and/or hepatitis C and sex workers.

The “Mwa Zero Diskriminasion” campaign aims to raise awareness of the discrimination and stigmatization suffered by vulnerable populations, but it is also a call for a real change in mentalities. Indeed, HIV status, injecting drug use (55.4%), a prison history (24.1%) and sex work (16.9%) are the main reasons for discrimination cited by the majority of respondents in the Stigma Index survey conducted in Mauritius in 2017. Yet our discriminatory judgments, attitudes, and treatment push key populations into situations of greater vulnerability. Trivialized, discriminatory behavior and language are yet human rights violations. The consequences of unfair treatment and language on a daily basis are real. The mental and physical health of these key populations is affected. Because they are seen, mistreated or ignored, 4 out of 10 people say they avoid going to hospitals (41.7%) or area health centers (41.4%) despite needing care. Nearly one third isolate themselves from their families and loved ones (32.8%), even though support is an essential element in living and managing their HIV status and addictions. Gossip, insults, threats, harassment are the daily lot of these vulnerable and too often marginalized groups. Nearly a quarter of the people responding to the Stigma Index report having been verbally insulted at least once in the past year, 10.6% of them on a regular basis. Women (32.3%) are more likely to report having experienced verbal attacks, harassment, and threats.

If “Twa” also you are against all forms of discrimination, share the sound “Nou tou inik” composed for this occasion. Sa “MWA” la twa ek mwa = zero diskriminasion.

READ MORE