The Girne American University (GAU)’s Faculty of Education’s Department of Primary School Teaching showed a film that helps us learn about and to improve the skill to empathise  AIDS.

Before the film, GAU’s chairman of the department of Primary School Teaching Associate Prof. Dr. Olga Pilli, gave a speech that emphasised the importance of AIDS, including World AIDS Day, and stated that they participated in various activities with the students of the department. Pilli mentioned that, they went around the streets of Kyrenia giving red ribbons to the public, with one of the department teachers, Assistant Professor Dr. Suzan Sonmez and her students, and continued this activity by giving red ribbons to the students at the university. At the end of the speech Pilli, who expressed that these activities are important to raise awareness, thanked those who helped plan and contribute in this activity such as,  GAU’s Faculty of Education’s Dean Prof.Dr. Nesrin Kale, department teachers Assistant Professor Dr. Ozgur Batur and Assistant Prof.Dr. Suzan Sonmez.

After GAU’s Department of Primary School Teaching’s chairman Associate Prof.Dr. Olga Pilli’s speech, Assistant Prof.Dr. Suzan Sonmez did a presentation on HIV/AIDS for the students. Sonmez made this statement on HIV/AIDS:

She said, “AIDS, is short for “Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome’ and in Turkish it is translated as “Edinilmis Yetersiz Bagisiklik Sistemi Sendromu”. In 1981 AIDS was first discovered in the United States of America. AIDS is not an illness that spreads threw outer contacts such as touching, kissing and breathing. Because of this reason, it is wrong and unnecessary for people to stay away from and to exclude them from society. Once HIV entered the body, the body forms special antibodies to fight against it. With the ELISA method these Antibodies in the blood that are detected is called Anti-HIV test. With the ELISA method, it needs a 3 month period for HIV antibodies to get to a certain level to be measured. Because of this reason, the test must be done 3 months after the disease has been spread. Zuhrevi disease unit possible ways of spreading are mentioned to be, Heterosexual sex, Homosexual/ Bisexual sex, Drug dependance in the veins, a mother can pass it to her baby and Hemophilia patients. According to Turkey’s Health Ministry’s December 2016 data, in our country there are 14695 HIV/AIDS patients. If the person has received the virus with unprotected sexual contact, the disease has no symptoms, the duration of 8-10 years without any symptoms, the inadequacy of adequate applications to health institutions about the sexually transmitted infections, the lack of adequate registration systems suggest that this number does not reflect the facts.”

The students that came to the hall of the Education Faculty’s Freedom building, watched a film based on AIDS called Philadelphia (1993). The film is about a successful lawyer (Tom Hanks) one day finds out  that he is carrying the AIDS virus, and the office that he works at soon after fires him. The lawyer was taken by surprise, because he didn`t have a problem with his boss. Despite this reason, the lawyer opens up a court case. This way, a court case that questions a person with AIDS’ place in society started too.  During this time, his friend (Danzel Washington) helps him out.

At the end of the film, the students said they were very impressed and thanked everyone for this possibility.