CFS and Malaysian CARE collaborate on HIV & YOU talk for UTAR community

Marking the 38th year since HIV was first diagnosed in Malaysia, the Knowledge Sharing and Communication Committee of the Centre for Foundation Studies at Kampar Campus partnered with the non-profit organisation Malaysian CARE to create a safe space for youth-led dialogues on HIV and AIDS. They jointly organised a talk titled HIV & YOU: Breaking Myths, Building Empathy on 18 December 2024 at UTAR Kampar Campus. The session, led by licensed counsellor and Malaysian CARE member Ms Poh Siew Lin, was attended by UTAR students and lecturers.

The session commenced with the “statement walk”, an interactive exercise where participants responded to statement prompts on common HIV and AIDS-related assumptions and beliefs by walking to position themselves at different corners of the venue to indicate their responses such as “agree,” “disagree,” “not sure,” “high risk,” “low risk,” and “no risk” among others. Participants then elaborated on their responses, guided by Ms Poh and Malaysian CARE volunteers.

Upon ascertaining the participants’ general stance, attitudes and knowledge about HIV and AIDS through the interactive exercise, Ms Poh commenced her talk by sharing statistics on HIV trends, treatments and challenges in Malaysia. Referring to the Global AIDS Monitoring Report 2023, she highlighted a worrying shift in HIV transmission patterns, noting that over 75 per cent of new HIV infections in 2022 occurred among young individuals aged 20 to 39. Additionally, participants were alerted to statistics indicating 96 per cent of infections were sexually transmitted while drug injection and other factors constituted two per cent each. Ms Poh then proceeded to outline youth trends based on the National Health and Morbidity Survey 2022.

The subsequent segment focused on specifying HIV symptoms and dispelling myths, followed by a recommendation of the SAVE (Safer practices, Access to treatment, Voluntary counselling and testing, and Empowerment) approach to HIV prevention for youth. This was followed by a video narrative of inspiring stories centred around people with HIV and AIDS who have suffered shame, rejection and hopelessness but ultimately found acceptance and hope in the form of empathic communities and effective treatment. After emphasising testing and treatment, Ms Poh proceeded to assert the role of each individual in addressing stigma, shame, denial, discrimination, inaction and misaction (SSDDIM) to create a community with greater empathy and awareness.

Ms Poh and Malaysian CARE volunteers then initiated a group discussion for participants to discuss strategies for reducing SSDDIM after which participants were invited to share the outcomes of their discussion. Responses included participants’ commitments towards being more attentive, demonstrating kindness and establishing an inclusive community on and off campus, among others.

The session concluded with Ms Poh inviting participants to a soft board where they pinned coloured paper in human shapes, containing personal messages of affirmation for HIV and AIDS-affected individuals. This was followed by the presentation of certificates of appreciation to Ms Poh and Malaysian CARE by the Director of Centre for Foundation Studies (Kampar Campus), Ts Tan Lee Siew and a group photograph.