Recently I had the opportunity to attend a Peace Corps hosted workshop on Nutrition for People Living with HIV/Aids. It was a two day workshop that encompassed basic nutrition for PLWHA, the benefits of exercise, calculating Body Mass Index, diet planning, discussions of Antiretroviral secondary affects, tire garden demonstrations and lots more. The best part of it was that each volunteer brought a member from their community either living with HIV/Aids or working in the area of HIV/Aids. Three members from the support group that I work closely with, attended the workshop with me. It was so exciting for them to be able to participate in something on this level and also to network amongst their peers. The ladies just kept raving about how much they loved the workshop and how much they learned. All of the information given is very important for PLWHA, this was an opportunity that they may never have gotten if it weren't for the workshop.
The BEST part about all of this to me, was the next week when these same 3 ladies took a leadership role at the support group meeting. The three of them with the help of Evergreen(another PC volunteer) and I, replicated the entire workshop for the other members of the support group who were unable to attend. I felt like a proud mama, watching them get up in front of the group and teach them about nutrition and what they had learned from the workshop. You could see the sense of pride they had in their smiles as they stood up there. I really have faith that this support group is going to continue to grow a strong sense of cohesion and leadership among them.
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