Miss Cebu 2016 Raine Baljak, Queen of Cebu 2011 Bee Urgello, Cebu City Councilor Mary Ann Delos Reyes, Cebu Plus executive director Jerson See and Bong Dy, general manager of Ayala Center Cebu during the Say It With the Teddy Bear opening at Ayala Center Cebu.
THE MONSTER under the bed is a real fear for many children, a tale as old as time and something many of us had to deal with when we were much younger.
To be away from mum and dad at night and sleep alone in your own bed…
And so a child finds comfort in his best friend, Teddy. While he sleeps, the stuffed bear turns into a “warrior” to fight away horrors…
This time, these huggable stuffed creatures have waged another war—against the stigma and discrimination attached to pregnant women and children living and struggling with HIV.
On Dec. 1 to 4, red teddy bears wearing statement shirts that direct our attention to the values of attitude, awareness and acceptance were put on display at the Ayala Center Cebu.
The “Say It With a Teddy Bear” campaign is one of the highlights of the World AIDS Day celebration. Not only does it raise awareness about HIV, but it also aims to raise funds for HIV-infected pregnant women and children.
“We chose teddy bears because it’s a cute thing for children. It has three designs to stress the values in fighting off the HIV stigma—attitude, awareness and acceptance,” said Jerson See, executive director of Cebuplus.
Cebu Plus Association, Inc. (CPAI) is a non-government organization that advocates awareness and positive behavior towards HIV through increasing the reach of HIV testing services among the young, at the same time creating a supportive environment for those who are tested positive.
While he’s been living with HIV for 10 years now, it was not easy for Jerson to deal with it since he was only 18 when he was diagnosed with the condition and even lost some friends because of this.
I can’t really blame those who are not accepting of people with HIV. I take it as a challenge to provide the public with the right information and ultimately eliminate the negative behavior towards people living with HIV. People who discriminate are basically uninformed or misinformed,” Jerson added.
The World AIDS Day is celebrated on Dec. 1.
Since 2010 to September 2016, 54 pregnant women and three children were diagnosed with HIV. From January to May 2016, there were three more HIV reactive diagnosed among pregnant women in Cebu Province according to the Department of Health Epidemiological Bureau (DOH-EB).
The “Say It With a Teddy Bear” campaign addresses the management of safe pregnancy, delivery and sustenance of the infant through two years.
“For children, it’s sad knowing that young as they are, they already have to deal with HIV, not having an idea what it is and growing old with it,” said Jerson.
Studies show that there is a 30 to 40 percent possibility of transmitting the virus to an infant during pregnancy, natural delivery and breast feeding.
However, if properly managed, the risk of transmission can be reduced to less than two percent.