Mary Robinson / AIDS Vigil

Red Alert

I certainly spotted Blush_01 and Panda at this! Did any more boardsies make it down there?

I've never seen Mary Robinson before live, she's a really great speaker indeed. The other lady from Uganda was really excellent, I haven't heard a talk that moving in a long time. Well done to everyone involved.

dajaffa

I was there too. I was really worried, ten minutes before the start the crowd was very sparse but it really filled up quickly then. It might be on the RTE news at 9 so keep your eyes peeled for boardsies!

panda100

Was really very moving.Big well done to everyone involved. It really hit home when Mary Donoghue said that 3000 people will die today of aids.

Also does anyone know how you would go about heading away with UCD overseas?

Jonny Arson

Wasn't this on tv today? If it was we need some youtube action!

Would have loved to gone myself but I had so much work to do today.

dajaffa

panda100 wrote:

Also does anyone know how you would go about heading away with UCD overseas?

Well I know the closing date for UCD volunteers overseas was last week but there's an office beside 911 for proper info.

Blush_01

It was really moving (see sig for details). Well done to the organisers. It was so well done and quite simple.

boneless

A very good friend of mine died 10 years ago of an AIDs related illness. I was going to go last night but decided instead to just remember him in my own way. This involved Bushmills and stout. Russell would have approved.

panda100

boneless wrote:

A very good friend of mine died 10 years ago of an AIDs related illness. I was going to go last night but decided instead to just remember him in my own way. This involved Bushmills and stout. Russell would have approved.

This reminds me of what the african lady said yesterday.She said that Africans are very spiritual people and when there is a big gathering of them together they know that those who cannot be their in person are there in spirit and without getting too OTT I really felt that presence their yesterday.

This is a sort of aside but I have learnt a lot about HIV and aids recently. We've just finished learning about the illnesses quite extensively in medicine and I also attended the aids awarness week in the terrace a couple of weeks back
It has made me think that our Nestle ban is extremly dated and should be lifted.
Did you know that there is a huge stigma attatched to women who dont breastfeed in Afrcia? If you are not seen breastfeeding your child you are immediatly labelled with HIV or aids.Therfore African women put their babies at risk every day by breastfeeding them just because they dont want the aids stigma attatched to them .
We heared yesterday that this is a young disease.It is affecting young people and while a proprtion of this is due to unsafe sex it is also mainly due to mother to child transmission.This is something that can be lessened greatly if the mother bottlefeeds and not breastfeeds her child. African women should be encouraged to bottlefeed and not breastfeed their babies in order to greatly lessen the risk of transmission.
Surely our nestle ban was encouraging those in Africa not to bottlefeed but to breastfeed?Are we not sending out the wrong message to African communities?

beanyb

It was fabulous. Really, really moving. I was afraid it might be slightly cheesy, but it really wasnt.

Miss GAAfia

It really was a wonderful event. I was so impressed with Barry and Dave, they represented the Union and the student body so well in the manner in which they addressed those present. Mary Robinson is an inspiration to the Irish people and all human rights activists.
Oh to have heard her say the famous "the hand that rocked the cradle has rocked the system" line, so mná na hÉireann I'm loving it! Congratulations to all involved.....a very moving and emotive afternoon.