On December 1, AFEW in Kyrgyzstan held a flash mob event in the capital Bishkek’s Victory Square. Tens of young people performed a dance show to draw the public’s attention to HIV in Kyrgyzstan and to call for solidarity with people living with HIV. Stigma and discrimination against people living with HIV and other key populations like people who use drugs, sex workers and men who have sex with men, is still high among the general population.
“It is important that these people can fully enjoy their social life,” said Ainagul Chylabaeva, head of Sverdlovsk district administration of Bishkek.
An HIV quiz and a poster competition that followed the dance performance were organised in partnership with the City AIDS Сentre, Sverdlovsk district administration, College of Law and the Health Department of Bishkek. The quiz included questions about HIV prevention and transmission. Most informed respondents received small prizes and those who did not know the right answer were provided with information. The poster competition was held among students of the Law College.
“The whole event was much unexpected, I enjoyed the dance and took part in the quiz. Though I thought my knowledge of HIV was quite good, I still made a few mistakes. Of course now I have the right information about HIV,” said one of the participants.
The World AIDS Day in Kyrgyzstan was held in the framework of Bridging the Gaps: Health and Rights for Key Populations project, funded by the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs. One of the project’s goals is to improve the quality of and access to HIV prevention, treatment, continuous care and services for people who use drugs.
