Bangladesh

YES alumni recently participated in events commemorating World Aids Day on December 1st. The daylong rally and activities were organized by the Bangladesh National AIDS/STD Program and the STI/AIDS Network of Bangladesh. The theme of the rally was "Stop AIDS. Keep the Promise." Over 10,000 people participated in the rally including: sex workers, people with disabilities, children, representatives of the media, people who were HIV positive, representatives of NGO's, international participants, and local leaders. The YES alumni were proud to march alongside these groups.

In addition to the rally itself, there were many educational components. These included singers who sang about HIV/AIDS awareness and displays where visitors could pick up educational materials and brochures from organizations engaged in combating HIV/AIDS. Groups like Save the Children and
Ashar Alo Society had stalls and the YES alumni discussed the possibility of coordinating community service projects in the future with these groups.