Offering Award to the prize winners of the writing contest on “Prevention of HIV/AIDS transmitting from mother to children and against stigma”

This contest was co-held by the VWU, Center for Supporting Women in HIV/AIDS Control and Reproductive Health (under Health Ministry) and UNICEF in Vietnam. It aimed at raising people’s awareness, attitude and action to prevent HIV/AIDS transition from mother to children in 5 targeted districts: Tan Chau (An Giang), Cao Loc (Lang Son), Thuy Nguyen (Hai Phong), Uong Bi (Quang Ninh) and No 6 District (Ho Chi Minh city). The first prize in poem and short story was offered to Bui Kim Hue (Hoa Binh 1^st Primary School, Thuy Nguyen, Hai Phong). In paintings and songs, the first prize was awarded to Hoang Thi Dung (Ngu Lao secondary School, Hai Phong) and Pham Thi Tien (Thien Huong Nursery School, Thuy Nguyen, Hai Phong) respectively.

In the opening speech, VWU’s Standing Vice President Truong Thi Khue highly appreciated meaning of the contest, which will help communities to improve their knowledge in HIV/AIDS and the way to prevent, drive back and stop the epidemic. She expected that the contest will be replicated and have better communicative impacts to the communities for the happiness of families and the national goals to drive back and stop HIV/AIDS.

As a member of the Board of Examiners, writer Nguyen Quang Thieu said that, this was a special contest -the contest of conscience and all the participants would be deserved to be awarded. The contest is really an excellent initiative of VWU, Center for supporting Women in HIV/AIDS Control and Reproductive Health (Ministry of Health) and UNICEF in Vietnam with the efforts to prevent and push back HIV/AIDS epidemic. The message “Do not die for lack of knowledge, in every situation, try to live meaning for ourselves and for life” called for people and communities’ conscience and responsibilities through poems, stories, paintings and songs.

The winner of the first prize in painting Hoang Thi Dung (Ngu Lao Secondary School, Hai Phong) hoped that the painting “Mother’s milk infected HIV/AIDS is not safe, let’s give a baby bottled milk” will be an effective message to communities, society o­n the risk of transmitting disease from mother to children thus contributing to limit HIV/AIDS transmission.