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Silence is not always golden, and in the Caribbean, it has been a major factor that has allowed HIV/AIDS to spread so widely that, after sub-Saharan Africa, it is the region of the world where the disease has hit the hardest.
Silence, along with homophobia, sex tourism, infidelity and poverty have all contributed to the rapid spread of AIDS in the Caribbean, and the United Nations, through its joint programme UNAIDS, warns that the epidemic will only get worse unless action is taken now. But in the Caribbean cultural taboos on dealing openly with issues of sexuality and HIV/AIDS are hindering progress. (Click here for statistics on AIDS in the Caribbean). "Over the last few years the world focus has been on HIV/AIDS problem in Africa - and rightly so," says Wendy Fitzwilliam, the former Miss Universe and Goodwill Ambassador for UNAIDS. "But the Secretary-General has made a serious attempt to focus on AIDS everywhere this year. I'm really pleased he has done that because we don't want the Caribbean or Latin America or Asia to suffer what Africa has gone through." "HIV is a very big problem in the Caribbean right now, but it's still extremely taboo to deal with the disease," says Wendy. "It's talked about very superficially but no one actually wants to get into the fight." Confronting taboos and speaking out is not a problem for Wendy Fitzwilliam. Articulate, educated, accustomed to the spotlight and not afraid to speak her mind, she constantly had her hand in the air like an eager student and jumped into the fray of the discussion at the World AIDS Day Town Hall meeting held at the UN headquarters in New York. "When you are doing this kind of work, you sometimes get disheartened because you feel that there is so little support. More than anything else, World AIDS Day is like an energy pill. It gives you the strength in many ways to keep on going." Wendy took home the Miss Universe title in 1998 and started her campaign against AIDS as a Goodwill Ambassador of UNAIDS. Her AIDS activism began earlier and less publicly when she was a law student in her native Trinidad and Tobago. During breaks between classes she would spend time at a children's home for orphans with AIDS located right near the law school where she was studying. Although she now lives in New York City, she always visits the Cyril Ross Nursery, still the only children's home for orphans with HIV/AIDS in the country, on her monthly visits home. "When I spend time with the children, I know I have no choice but to do what I'm doing in this area," says Wendy. "They are like my kids. Every time I go home I visit them. I see the difficulties that they live with on a daily basis." It was with them in mind that Fitzwilliam started the Hibiscus Foundation three years ago to heighten AIDS awareness and provide financial support for children's programmes in Trinidad. The organisation has an "open door" policy meaning that they will fund any programme benefiting children as long as those programmes are open to children with HIV/AIDS. The children at the Cyril Ross Nursery - some of whom are as old as 16 now - are now enrolled in the local schools, something that was denied them in the past, though they still experience discrimination. On a recent trip back home, says Fitzwilliam, one little girl turned to her and asked, "Auntie Wendy, do you only love me because I have AIDS? That's what the kids in my school tell me." She continues to work closely with the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), the International Red Cross as spokesperson for youth in the Caribbean and is now campaigning to get the private sector more involved in funding and backing AIDS programmes in the region. Her law degree gives her an edge in her efforts in the Caribbean where higher education is highly regarded. "A legal education has worked to my advantage in getting the support of some of our businesses because I'm not just seen as an 'ex-beauty queen,'" she says with characteristic candour. Wendy's goal is to get the private sector more involved in funding and backing AIDS programmes in the Caribbean. "If you bang on the door enough times to get funding, they will eventually give you something," she says, with a laugh. "Maybe not what you are looking for, but you are going to get some sort of support simply because you are a pest. And this business is all about being a pest!" FIND OUT MORE about how the UN and its agencies are fighting to stop the spread of HIV/AIDS. Click on the links next to Wendy's photo. OTHER STORIES: We are all in this fight together | An African pastor shares story - and his status | Thinking positive is the best defence | Broadway keeps AIDS on the agenda |
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