World Aids Day Field Report

World AIDS Day - December 1st - is an international day of action on HIV and AIDS. It's a time that we focus on getting people the facts about HIV and AIDS. It's also a day for people to get involved and there are many ways in which you can do so. You can find some ideas here.

Click the link below for a field report from our NY Store Manager, Joy Lynn Alegarbes, on some work she's doing with the Condom Project in Nigeria.

Greetings from Abuja, Nigeria! I am here with The Condom Project doing work for World AIDS Day, preparing for the International Conference on HIV and STIs in Africa, and piloting our video program here in Nigeria.

We are having a fantastic time. We have an entourage that consists of myself, Franck, Yonas, and George. The four of us are constantly sandwiched between Austin and Ubani, our Nigerian security personnel.

Our flight into Abuja was insane; not only does customs in Nigeria ask for 100% duty on all electronics being brought into the country, but we received many warnings that the baggage handlers usually steal anything of value out of your luggage before you can claim it. As a result, Franck and I bribed our way onboard with 6 digital video cameras, 8 laptops, and an unfathomable amount of carry-on baggage, which we proceeded to drag through the airports in DC, Frankfurt, and Abuja. We made it across the border with everything that we had packed in the States... except for 1,000 condoms that some hopeful baggage handler stole before our suitcases made it onto the conveyor belt. Hilarious.

Yonas, the head of our video program in Ethiopia, had never been on an airplane before and did not realize that he had to change planes in order to meet us in Abuja. He ended up waiting for hours at the airport in Lagos, at which time he was swindled by some kid offering to change currency for him. He was finally rescued by a kind taxi driver that got him a hotel for the night, food, and a plane ticket to Abuja the next day. We finally got word from him on our first morning here, and he made it safely to us later that day.

Things have been quite exciting, and I wanted to share some photos of the work we are doing here so far :)

The first photo: Within the first two days of our visit, we were asked to appear on a TV show called Young Hearts, which is on the Nigerian Television Authority (NTA), Channel 5. Our taping was earlier today, and they are doing a follow-up story on us this Thursday, World AIDS Day. I got to put a condom on a ketchup bottle, make a condom explode, and turn a condom into a hair tie using only my teeth... all on national television! This photo was taken in the studio this afternoon.

The second photo: we will be launching our video program, 30 Seconds:
A Visual Voice, with this youth group in Abuja. We met them through the Society for Family Health, which is similar to Planned Parenthood in the States. One condom poster that I saw in SFH's facility said, "Use Condoms for More Effective Child Spacing," which I thought was such an interesting way to put it :-)

Oh, just in case you are not aware - when we begin a video program within a given community, we always leave them with a digital video camera, a laptop with editing equiptment, a DVD burner, and discs`.
That explains why we had to carry all of that contraband onto the airplane!

Yonas took the third photo for me; this is a mosque that we see every day upon leaving our hotel.

The last photo is Franck, Yonas, and me fielding a Q&A with the studio audience of Young Hearts :-) We are flanked by the co-hosts of the program, Constance and Randy.

Tomorrow we are scheduled to meet with the Spiritual Advisor to the President of Nigeria! We are also branstorming ways in which we can take The Condom Project to the tribes in the Nigerian countryside.