Designing Hope invited Photographer Nousha Salimi for a workshop organized with a group of teenagers from the project: “Picturing Hope”, from “Baylor Black Sea Foundation”, in Constanta (Romania), The purpose was to create with the youth visuals to be used in a prevention campaign fighting stigma, and promoting HIV-testing and condom use.
The adolecents first wrote the messages they wanted to adress for this campaign, and then shoot the appropriate corresponding photos. Mrs Nousha Salimi helped them in shooting the scenes.
Then the condom packs and posters have been printed from the photos and messages found in the workshop.
Some of the working youth of the foundation have packed condoms in individual pouches and this campaign has been spread in care centers of the region.
Background
Since 2001, this clinic has been following more than 500 HIV-positive children and adolescents. In addition to the medical follow-up related to HIV-AIDS and the provision of anti-retroviral drugs, this Romanian centre offers other services: gynaecology, dental care, psychological and social support, family planning…
Half of the HIV-positive children in Europe are Romanian. The majority of them were contaminated by medical equipment and blood transfusions, at a time when precautions were not taken to avoid blood contamination. Half of these children are orphans or abandoned.