In commemoration of World AIDS Day 2013 on December 1, 2013, DKI Jakarta’s Commission on AIDS Eradication together with Unilever Indonesia Foundation and YCAB Foundation invited 500 high school students, and other AIDS related institutions to raise awareness through a Fun Walk, yell competition, and flash mob. The commemoration event was also attended by Jakarta’s Vice Governor, Basuki Tjahja Purnama, who, otherwise known as Ahok, also serves as Chief of Project Officers.
On the 2013 theme of protecting workers, families, and the nation, the Jakarta provincial commission on AIDS eradication invited Jakarta’s citizens to be aware that the spread of HIV/ AIDS pandemic may threaten their health, productivity and welfare, and even worse, to Jakarta’s human resources and development. The commemoration is also expected to diminish stigma, and discrimination to people living with HIV/AIDS. In Jakarta alone, according to Directorate General of Disease and Environment Control and Management of Indonesian Ministry of Health cumulatively HIV and AIDS cases in Jakarta from its founding in 1987 to June 2013 has reached 24,807 and 6,299 cases. In this occasion, Ahok delivered a message to the youth to avoid the HIV/AIDS by having a healthy lifestyle, not to avoid people living with HIV/AIDS. “What we should fight is not the people who live with HIV/ AIDS. Hence, we must fight the pandemic itself.” While Rohanna, Secretary of DKI Jakarta’s Commission on AIDS Eradication, reported the commission’s priorities attempt to overcome HIV/ AIDS. Furthermore, she delivered her gratitude to all stakeholders that have been supporting the commission’s effort to tackle the issue.
This year (2013) marks the fourth year of collaboration, between Unilever Indonesia Foundation (YUI) and YCAB Foundation, in encouraging healthy lifestyle to the youths. Both have been bearing the same vision of fighting HIV/ AIDS. Through the campaign of “Remaja Berani Hidup Sehat”, both YUI and YCAB Foundation have been attempting to reach roughly 50,000 students of 5 different districts in Jakarta. The 500 students representative from those schools attended the event. They were from SMK Perbankan Nasional, SMK Dewaruci, SMK Ristek Jaya, SMK Bina Karya Utama, SMK Gita Wisata, dan SMK Mercusuar. All of the participants were doing funwalks and held banners that include messages to raise awareness about HIV/AIDS among all the people around Bundaran HI.
At the closing of the event, all participants were invited to do a flashmob that is a call to promote the healthy lifestyle to avoid the spread of HIV/AIDS.