In honor of World AIDS Day on Tuesday, ASU students gathered to paint in memory of those who have died, have been affected by or are at risk of contracting HIV, the virus that causes AIDS.
HEAL international will continue to put on events such as Paint for Peace for years to come to promote education on sexual and public health. The group also sends students to multiple locations to promote these goals and is currently looking for more people to join in the summer of 2016 trip to Tanzania.
The eighth annual event, hosted by HEAL International, took place at Hayden Lawn on the Tempe campus. This event aimed to change the stigma surrounding the disease and educate students on the real dangers of HIV.
“Part of the reason World AIDS Day is so important is because people don’t realize that there’s still so much (negative) stigma,” HEAL International Chapter President Maddie Knowles said. “A lot of what this event is, is providing a space for people to come together and talk about things that they don’t usually feel comfortable talking about and ask questions that they’re usually too scared to ask."
Blank canvasses and paint were provided free of charge to anyone that wanted to paint in an effort to promote awareness and to provide a safe place for people to express themselves. The only request made by the organization was that a red ribbon signifying AIDS awareness be included in the art piece. Students lined up to make their own artful contributions to the movement dedicated to their loved ones.
With a paintbrush in hand, ASU alumnus Patryk Podsiadlo recounted his own experiences providing HIV education while volunteering in India.
“With every stroke that I’m doing, I think of them,” he said. “I saw children there that were in shelters and their parents couldn’t afford to keep up with their medication. I just think about how strong they are currently and their bright future ahead of them."
Other local public and sexual health organizations were also present and ready to answer any questions about STDs, STIs, HIV and AIDS. Pamphlets detailing risks and symptoms along with free condoms were distributed to students walking by to promote safe sex in the ASU community. Free HIV testing was also available in the MU to those who were interested.
A study conducted in 2014 by UNAIDS revealed that there were 36.9 million people in the world living with AIDS. Another study from the Southwest Center, a Phoenix research and resource center, found that there were more than 16,000 people living with HIV or AIDS in Arizona as of 2013. This disease does not currently have a cure, but rather a treatment called antiretroviral therapy (ART), that controls the virus and allows one to live longer and healthier with the condition.
“People act like it (AIDS/HIV) can’t happen to them,” biochemistry Tiauna Denman, ASU student and volunteer for the function, said. “Everyone is talking about sex, but who is really having safe sex?”
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Students paint for peace, HIV awareness
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