Today is the 21st Worlds AIDS Day.

Started on 1st December 1988, World AIDS Day is about raising money, increasing awareness, fighting prejudice and improving education. The World AIDS Day theme for 2009 is ‘Universal Access and Human Rights’. World AIDS Day is important in reminding people that HIV has not gone away, and that there are many things still to be done.

According to the latest statistics published by China Ministry of Health, there are now about 740,000 people living with HIV in this country, among whom, 105,000 have AIDS. The new infections in 2009 are estimated to be 48,000. The epidemic currently spreads showing 4 characteristics: 1. the newly infection rates are further slowed in line with the effects of extensive measures taken to prevent and treat the disease; 2. Sex has remained the most common way of transmission, while infection cases among MSM (men having sex with men) groups steadily rise up; 3. Infection rate is generally low across the country but high in certain areas; 4. nationwide more people are under the impact of HIV, ways the virus spreads more diversified than before.

Low awareness of the existence and reality about HIV/AIDS situation in China, which although has shown some improvement thanks to educational efforts from government agencies and non-profit sectors, remains, and nullifies efforts to provide easily accessible testing and fre

e medication. The most important issue concerning people living with HIV, also affecting how general population prevent against HIV/AIDS, is the extensive discrimination and stigma associated with the disease.

Nearly 24 years has passed since China’s first case of HIV/AIDS infection. HIV/AIDS has caused many and an still increasing number of people, especially young ones under the age of 25, to suffer. Universal access to education, to testand to treatment are all necessary for fighting against this virus before it could be scientifically annihilated.

Taking bus rides for about 2 hours on Wednesday afternoons, walking past rows of shabby houses and through thick veils of sand stirred up from piles scattered along sides of the road, volunteer teachers from a Beijing-based university would finally get to Xin Long (meaning New Dragon in Chinese) migrant school in Chaoping district to bring one session of HIV/AIDS prevention and health education class to students from Grade 6 to 8. Within 2 months, they played games, led exercises, and tried their best teaching methods, all in an effort to provide these young students with knowledge to stay healthy.

By no means were those students, seemingly lovely and tame at the first glance, lovely and tame in the starting sessions. Excited by the energy and roll-play games our volunteer teachers brought into the classroom, they reacted with all their enthusiasm, sometimes even, ‘wildness’.

But our volunteers teachers, though astounded by the response they got for the starting session and struggled to present the class loud enough to overcome the hoorays, instead of feeling feeling defeated, they actively participated in discussion sessions with each other, listed and practiced all tips or skills that could help them regain the control in the class. They cared so much about those children they finally realized they need not be their friends, they had to assume the authority of teachers.

In the following weeks, teachers had the best experience of volunteer work. They noticed students following their instructions, thinking about questions and playing hard when asked to. It became easy to let them know the difference between HIV and AIDS, and to watch out for their health.

The project concluded last week. Volunteer teachers hope they could return next semester.

From 21st October, PTE will begin a series of workshops in migrants schools in Changping. These students (aged between 14 and 16) will receive comprehensive HIV/AIDS education. Furthermore, PTE will provide Train-to-teach workshops for 8 volunteers who will continue to provide HIV/AIDS information to the children after the workshops have finished.

On 17th September PTE was involved in HIV/AIDS workshops at the University of Keji Zhiye Xueyuan, Yanqing, Beijing. In these workshops over 800 freshman students received HIV/AIDS education. The workshop focused on facts about HIV and AIDS and prevention, as well as a lecture on stigma and discrimination.

This year around 20 people are running in the Beijing Marathon for PTE. Please support them and us! All you have to do is visit us at FirstGiving and select a runner to sponsor. Alternatively, please join us and run and help raise money for PTE!

As of October 2009 PTE will be joining up with Compassion for Migrant Children (CMC) to provide personal, social and health education including HIV/AIDS education. We will run courses throughout the semester teaching 12-22 year olds about how to make informed and healthy decisions.

Just a reminder to those wishing to run with PTE at the 2009 Beijing marathon, after the 15th of September the registration fee doubles!

If you would like to run please request and application form from info@pte-china.org

If you have already completed an application form please return it to us as soon as possible.

Welcome to the new look PTE website!

You may notice some changes to the site, and improvements.

If you have any problems finding the information you need please contact us and we will do our best to help you.