One of the highlight events on the Calendar of activities to commemorate World AIDS Day 2009 is the Amazon Retreat II. Organized by the HIV/AIDS Programme Management Team in collaboration with the Preventive Health Department and Women’s Desk, the organisers are calling on women of the community to come out on December 4, 2009 and be a part of this wonderful evening as we discuss sexual reproductive health and family planning issues in a relaxing atmosphere.
This evening promises to be one filled with great discussion amongst your peers while enjoying a comfortable, cozy ambiance. The objective of this evening is to stimulate discussion around the topic of sexual reproductive health and family planning issues with the aim of using the information gathered to help develop a structured approach to addressing these intimate issues. Organisers feel that it will be instructive to get feedback from as wide a cross section of women in the community; hence the public call for women interested in participating.
According to Suzette Moses-Burton, HIV/AIDS Programme Manager: "As we look at integrating HIV/AIDS into sexual reproductive health and family planning here on St. Maarten, we want to continue to draw on experiences of women within the community to learn about some of the challenges as well as what is currently being or not being done, so that we can better structure programmes to meet the needs. We enthusiastically look forward to doing similar sessions for men, as the subject of sexual reproductive health and family planning is a gender-based issue. We are very excited to have Dr. Mario Aguilar from UNFPA return to St. Maarten to help us facilitate this discussion and it is expected that the women will not only give us information to better serve their needs but also have an opportunity to learn as well. The evening promises to be a fun and information-filled one, just ask any woman who participated in Amazon Retreat I four years ago."
Women between the ages of 16 to 24 and 25 to 75, who are interested in being part of this wonderful discussion evening are asked to register no later than Monday, November 30 at 12PM by calling 542-2078/542-3003 or 542-3553. Please ask for Miss Myra Sprott, and leave your name and number with her. Please call as soon as possible as space is limited.
The theme of World AIDS Day 2009 is "Universal Access and Human Rights," with many sub-titles, one being "I am Living my Rights," which is befitting for that evening’s discussion as you are living your rights as a woman to freely discuss topics that most intimately affect you. Come and enjoy an evening of intimate discussion, we dare you!