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November 17, 2007

Kids & HIV/AIDS; Don't Hate – EDUCATE

jenna.jpgJenna Bush, daughter of the president of the United States, who has written a book chronicling the life of a young Latin American girl born HIV positive; also spoke briefly about the discrimination facing children living with HIV/AIDS in Jamaica. Inspired to write the book, entitled "Anna's Story; A Journey of Hope," following a UNICEF internship in Latin America and the Caribbean, it was the Jamaican response to HIV that seemed harshest, in all of the young Bush’s analogies.

Bush, 25, spoke of HIV positive children in Jamaica who told her they would never disclose their HIV status to anyone in their neighbourhood. The children's reason was a very real fear that someone in their village would stone them to death, she said. This speaks to the single most crippling aspect of HIV/AIDS; that is Stigma and Discrimination.

Talking about children with HIV/AIDS Jenna's book documents the life stories of the kids she encountered during her study/work experience. At a book signing session recently Jenna encouraged people to become mentors, teachers, tutors and volunteers for affected children in need of help and to educate themselves about the crucial issues facing children like, HIV/AIDS, sexual abuse and other like issues, the Tampa Tribune reported.

Intended to inspire and not depress, Jenna spoke of first encounter with Anna, who was like a typical American teen. Jenna told the Tribune, "I ignorantly thought she [Anna] would be scared and sad and would have trust issues. I didn't know she'd already gotten the help she needed and had talked about her problems. By the time I met her, she was incredibly positive. She said, 'This is the way God created my life. What is the point in being sad?"

Anna was not only HIV positive at birth, she was also sexually abused and became pregnant at age 16. Bush mentioned thinking, Ana would never have overcome the barriers in her life had it not been for real friends, mentors, educators and spiritual leaders.

Posted by yardFlex at November 17, 2007 02:37 PM


Comments

Posted by: chad on November 18, 2007 12:32 PM

"The children's reason was a very real fear that someone in their village would stone them to death, she said".
Now you tell me what the fuck this woman talking about? I never know seh jamaica have village.


Posted by: The Voice on November 18, 2007 12:53 PM

Did she just refer to a community in Jamaica as a village? People need to see through these attempts at philanthropy and see them as attempts at self aggrandization and denigration of another country.


Posted by: kelly on November 18, 2007 08:12 PM

i feel u both chad and the voice where the hell in jamaica u have village she sure she was on the right island bwoy this is the typical dumb blond moment and when last anybody hear of poeple stoning other people to death in our little island seriously she sound like her boat did touch down in africa somewhere and she slip up and say jamaica... hmmmmmmmm


Posted by: doc on November 18, 2007 11:51 PM

village? i know that jamaica is no america but when was the last time there was a village in jamaica they need to cut out this foolishness


Posted by: Wade Cameron on November 19, 2007 04:26 PM

The whole world need to be educated on this major epademic.


Posted by: ? on November 19, 2007 07:44 PM

Jamaica better be careful of who they let into the country claiming they are "doing good," this is nothing but modern day take over of a nation. Jamaica needs to look into every other place America has "helped" as an example.


Posted by: JD on November 21, 2007 12:31 PM

why not deal with the issue at hand instead of avoiding the discussion of discrimination and barbaric discrimination at that...that is taking place in jamaican rural areas - if you wish -

there are many people living with hiv in jamaica who are treated worse than if they were stoned!!!!!!!!!!

and the ill treatment comes mainly from their so called friends most of the time and their neighbours!!!!!!!

so called religious people gossip and laugh at their peers, instead of trying to understand their situation and being supportive...

people instead whisper about others (even when their is no need to...even if the person with hiv tells the world - there are fools who still think they are proving a point by gossiping and whispering about the hiv people... and they judge as well...because their idiot minds can't fathom hiv as a disease of love and not necessarily one of the gutter - so they start calling names and being horrible...

this type of behavior causes people to not test...and more importantly causes a fear of disclosure.... which makes those living with hiv endure a horribe life of secrecy, when there is nothing really to be secret about and then also causes the aids to spread

HIV infection in someone, means they have an irrepairably damaged immune system...what is there in that to hate someone for!!!!

REMEMBER MILLIONS OF INFECTED PERSONS DO NOT KNOW THEY ARE SICK....U CANNOT SEE AIDS...IT DOES NOT COME IN BODY SHAPES...YOU WOULD NEVER KNOW UNLESS U TEST

so village, community, town, or district...is a WORD SOUND...but why am i not surprised that yardflex eedioots have such shallow comments


Posted by: Janice on November 21, 2007 12:36 PM

yes Doc
I believe you really are a doc...because doctors have been the single most discriminating force in this hiv struggle

many perpetuate stigma and even spread myths about hiv

one told a light skinned friend of mine "why are you worrying about safe sex...and you are a decent lady?"

now he is an ass and not too much smarter than the doc above who is agreeing with stupid comments instead of defending the kids who are being illtreated for no fault of theirs!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


Posted by: Liz on November 21, 2007 12:44 PM

yes kelly u are also a flipping ass...

furthermore...you seem to be someone who would actully use your words as a weapon, which is what the boys probably meant...people hurl insults like rocvk stones and jhurt up their heads

i have experienced the wickedness of people discriminating aggainst me and i did not go out there to look aids

my partner brought it in the house!!!!!!!!!!!!!

and this is a very common story

idots think aids means gay...idiots think aids means sin...idiots think aids means promiscuous

That type of thinking is all very far from the reality of aids transmission in our little jamaica where the culture of "trailer load or nuff gal inna bungle" rules.


Posted by: serious on November 21, 2007 12:47 PM

alright chad ...but did u know children living with a disease they did not bring on themselves are being viciouslyu illtreated!!!!!!!!!!!!

what do u have to say about that???

or are you too much of a dumb nappy head to comment on the issue at hand!!!

do you agree that children living 3with hiv should live in fear whether it is in a village or a mountain top???

get a life!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


Posted by: hotalee on November 22, 2007 03:15 PM

Every body a talk bout seh not looking at the facts yes the facts but look how we are being seen in the eyes of the people who dont know jamaica if that blonde b*tch goes to jamaica to help put light on the hiv status of children why the frock she would mek up a story like that A guess she is her fathers child they relate something to har she nuh understand it and say a so it go me no know a which villiage she go and bout stone.jamaicans not because people a sey dem a help dem not suppose to mek it look like jamaica anuh nuwhere a true we economy messed up dats y PEOPLE COME A MERICA so gal a go back a school AND GO LEARN HOW TO PERCEIVE AND RECEIVE ANSWERS TO QUESTION.


Posted by: doc on November 22, 2007 06:55 PM

janice i agree with what you are saying but aids is a pestilence the people who don't practice abstinence use a condom and stop using injected drugs are pestilences we spread these to our children and they are branded for life its is the docters who are trying to help you by finding a cure and giving you the medication and protection you need the jamaican government need put these scandals aside and help the people that don't have the need to protect themselves so don;t blame the docters blame yourselves...


Posted by: nicky on November 23, 2007 12:30 PM

I have never heard about children being stoned in Jamaica because they have HIV! has anyone here heard that? and in fact if this were true why did it take Jenna Bush to come here and find this problem? a problem that has never been discussed by the Jamaican public. u wanna know why??????????? BECAUSE SHE FROCKING MADE IT UP TO SATISFY HER OWN THESIS!!!!!!!!!!!!! now i am not saying that children in Jamaica that have HIV are not afraid to let anyone know but the fact is people may talk about it (this is not right) but you will find no one here stoning a child because he/she has HIV.


Posted by: tete on November 23, 2007 07:03 PM

she a talk bout peolpe a yard wid aids weh di hell she left fi har country weh she know bout gawn talk bout some weh else she only hear bout america have more people yah wid aids dan jamaica but a only because jamaica so lickle mek it seems so much somebody shoulda stone or lickle drunk dumb cracker *ss she juss like har frocking ugly dumb *ss pupa blonde b*tch mi know mi might sound a lickle angry but people like dem mek other people feel like they not worth it all dem dahm skeliton she have inna har closet somebody need fi let dem out fi real bout she write book bout jamaica weh she no write it bout dem lickle nasty *ss americans who have it and a pass it off to other people and no tell dem.


Posted by: tete on November 23, 2007 07:06 PM

why it couldnt be a white woman pan di book cover why she gotta be black dat mi a talk bout shi mek it seems like a black people alone have aids


Posted by: zipper on November 28, 2007 05:39 AM

See this is the reason that often i dont acknowledge the Jamaican aspect of my heritage, the ignorance, sidetracking and un-required violent attitude.
An individual has indicated an issue, why not work together identify if the behaviours highlighted are in fact the case. No, not the jamaicans immediately people are getting angry about terms and words used, avoiding the real issue. Ok, if she got it wrong then you go do something positive about the situation, do your part, if need be write your own book highlighting your experiencies and accounts from your research. Cussing and B*tching amounst yourselves just indicates weakness.


Posted by: stanvybez on December 5, 2007 12:36 AM

Educate di ghetto youths to abstain from sex or encourage them to use condoms becuase AIDS is very sh*t


Posted by: Tha Gurl Who Keeps It Real on April 8, 2008 04:56 PM

First of all this is for everyone who is making those stupid comments about wat Jamaica really is stop it now.....

yea you might stay there but thats not the damn point, yea she might have gave more than enough detail but fuck the extra detail about Jamaica....

Tha damn point is there are children born with HIV/AIDs dumb asses.....

wat if that was your child....better yet wat if that was you....yea think about it

and ya'll still didnt say anything about tha child gettin sexually abused wats up with that ya'll focused on the wrong thing!!

I understand dats ya'll country and wat not but she is making a point.

stop being races she is stating a fact and i be damned if ya'll jus posting negative things because this chick is white...ima black college student and this dnt make no damn since i promise it dont.

Im finish with the foolishness ya'll need to open ya'll damn eyes


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