CCF in the field

CCF Staff Attends International AIDS Conference in Mexico City

Sarah A. Roush, Program Associate for CCF

Today was the first full day of the International AIDS Conference in Mexico City. Held every two years in a different international location, the conference is the space where more than 20,000 individuals and groups engaged in HIV/AIDS work, including CCF, come together for a week of information exchange, networking and activism.

Outside of the main conference building is the Global Village which is an informal space where activists put on performances and groups, such as youth and people living with HIV/AIDS, have networking zones. Throughout the Global Village, volunteers hand out colorful fliers for different events going on during the week. In the Global Village and at the main conference, groups present innovative new programs for combating AIDS.

One such program being promoted in the Global Village is “Hairdressers Against AIDS,” a global program created by L’Oreal in which hairdressers working in partner salons are sensitized and given a basic education on HIV issues. In participating salons around the world, hairdressers can then engage interested clients in basic discussions about HIV prevention. More than 1 million hairdressers working in 400,000 salons in 22 countries have been trained through this program. To promote the program, “Hairdressers Against AIDS” were offering free hairstyles at the conference… naturally, I volunteered immediately!