Since our exhibition is held on a long weekend and many of our volunteers already had other plans, we only managed to rope in a few Buddies to volunteer for the exhibition at Ipoh Parade yesterday. As a matter of fact, for the morning shift, only our honorary secretary and myself were able to make it. Another colleague informed us he'd only be able to make it a bit later. Thank goodness the event was jointly organised with the Perak Family Health Association (PFHA); and they brought along members of a youth club under their wing, the Inteyo Club. So yaayyyy!! We had energetic youths helping out with the exhibition.
When I got to Ipoh Parade, my colleague was already there with the buntings and brochures. I was just in time to help set up our buntings. Just as I sat down to prepare a piece of paper to enable the public who'd like to become volunteers to sign up, I saw a familiar face. Whaddaya know... a school senior of mine whom I seldom got to meet despite her staying in Ipoh.
At the Buddies table, my school senior, my fellow volunteer and the lady in blue is from PFHA.
The PFHA also offered blood pressure measurement for the public and free blood sugar tests for the first 100 to register while the youths from Inteyo Club got the public to fill in a survey to find out the public's knowledge and opinion on HIV/AIDS - offering free gifts for those who agreed to do the survey.
Blood pressure and blood sugar tests.
The youths from Inteyo Club getting the public to do the survey.On our side, we distributed our Buddies brochures and also some brochures on HIV/AIDS info provided by Malaysian AIDS Council. And oh, red ribbons too in support of people living with HIV. There were also quite a few who were interested to become volunteers. By the time I left about 2.30 pm (after the 4 volunteers for the afternoon shift arrived), I saw 7 names on the list. Hopefully there were more by the time the exhibition ended at 5.00 pm.
2 of the guys who came for the afternoon shift, enabling me to finally leave... Overall, I think okay lah... instead of having the public run away at the sight of the word HIV/AIDS, there were some who showed interest. Of course there were still some who didn't want to get caught looking at the posters for too long... especially the poster with graphic demonstration on the right way to use a condom... hehehe...
14 comments:
hold on here nowww...there's actually another way of putting on a condom? err...you serious?
hey, well done anyway. for some reason i did not keep track of the date lately. so when i left my feedback in your previous post at the back of my head i thought 19th was only towards the end of this week!
Now, now Kerp... bab condom ni cepat je engko respond eh? :)
I didn't say anything about "another way of putting on a condom" did I? I just mentioned the "right" way to use a condom - and that not only involves putting on, it also involves the safe way to take it off...
Hi Pi Bani...okay, I now be knowing about the Ipoh Parade and Greentown. Had a few friends staying in the Government homes there, back in the 70's.
HOLY SMOKE! What's all this about condoms?
Saya about to check out saw the word 'condom' above, slammed my brakes, buat U turn... look again.
Ha ha, I call it 'umbrellas'. Used to have some in my car too, for emergencies, *wink*.
You'll be surprised what I use it for too. NO! NOT THAT!!
Bila pergi wild boar hunting with friends and hujan lebat, pasang the condom over the gun barrel, no ayer get in. See! Got many uses...
Sometimes if sit in a girl's car, I purposely open a packet and lepas under the seat, arhaaa ha ha.
One day few of us in this single mother's car, me and three other ladies, I discreetly opened one and said, "hoi! What's this under your seat"?
We all had a real good laugh, her muka merah and laughing wondering how it got in her car.
Of course her friends didn't believe her, arhaaa ha ha.
Many uses...more for laughs. I even dropped one or two in cinemas...in Ipoh Ruby and Cathay cinemas, heh heh.
Bet the cleaners must be scratching their heads, ha ha. Lots of fun can be had with condoms besides....covering gun barrels in the rain, *wink*. Lee.
Lee,
All sorts of uses eh, the condom? It never occurred to me anyone would use it to cover gun barrels, of all things. I guess if you're the adventurous type, you must need a creative mind to use whatever is available for all sorts of usage.
Anyway, I hope you've stopped dropping condoms in other people's car! Haha!
Hi Pi Bani, when I balek kampong to Malaysia, I will buy a packet keep in my pocket...so, when you take me to go makan Ipoh's famous nasi kandar or whatever, saya belanjar of course, then bila shake hands say 'goodbye'....you dropping me off, better check your car, arhaaa ha ha.
The buaya strikes again!
Holy Smoke, imagine you carry one of your lady friends, she picks one up from the floor of your BMW and exclaim in mock horror, "PI BANI, APA NI OI"?
Arhaaa ha ha. Lee.
Lee,
First of all, I mana ada BMW? My car 1000 cc only - small tank just like the owner lah!
Secondly, I don't have any worries about you dropping any condoms in my car. You see, I do give talks on HIV/AIDS to schools and sometimes we do bring along condoms... no, not to distribute but more to keep the students awake! So, if you do happen to drop one in my car, I don't have any problems looking for excuses... hehehe...
Hi Kak Pi,
I learnt that in Malaysia, the one sure way of getting people to be supportive is to offer free stuff!
Give them free BP and sugar-level tests, and free gifts to those who answered the survey, and you sure will have people attending the exhibition...
No matter...To me, not important why they came, but it IS important that they went home with more knowledge (and hopefully, awareness and empathy) than when they came...
Nice move akak... it's not easy to breakthrough the mindset...but with such effort though litle by little surely you'll get momentum...
ahah! everyone talks about condom...umbrella u.lee's term..hahahaha...MH's term is stockin'...hahahaha
Daph,
Wonder how the crowd will react if we offer condoms as free gifts? ;)
Seriously, yes, free gifts are crowd pullers indeed. I only wish more corporations would sponsor goodies to attract the crowd when we have such events.
Raden Galoh,
Ah sudah... sorang panggil umbrella, sorang lagi panggil stockin' ... I wonder if there are any other terms.
Hi Pi Bani, ha ha...ya la, I lupa you in this kind of Angel work will have the excuse, ha ha.
Okay, the buaya never gives up.
By the way, this umbrella subject giving me ideas for my next post...will check my old diaries first. Lee.
Ahah Lee... another buaya story in your next post? Looking forward to it... :)
Hi Pi
Looks like the exibition went well. It is true that when things are given away free, people tend to flock around there. It also happens over here.
I wonder how the crowd would have reacted if you made announcements over the PA system "come get free condoms over at HIV/AIDS booth. At 2:00pm there will be a demonstration on how to use it."
No lah.. no need to use people or posters for it. Borrow U.Lee's gun or someone's banana (the fruit lah ... brought for snacking). :P
JT,
Whoa!! Make announcement on free condoms? Demo some more? My guess is many may come to somewhere near the exhibition and intai-intai but shy to come too near and ask directly! Like I mentioned, even for the poster they didn't dare stand there for too long...
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