It is a pleasure to share our experiences with you and we can only hope that through the messages and words we post, we can transmit at least a little bit the lessons and incredible insights we gain from working on the HOPE project.
On tuesday, 10th of August, we were very warmly welcomed in 'Rumah Solehah', a shelter for Moslim women and children. We were touched by the hospitaly which included a very nice lunch prepared by the women living in the house, a beautiful performance by the children and some very nice bracelets. Everytime we visit a shelter we are amazed by the openess and warmth of the residents. Despite their challenging situations and painful past they still share their stories in a brave and direct way. They look for ways to make life better for themselves and even more for the people around them. It is an honor for us to spend time with them, to share a lunch, give a hug and most of all to learn from them. We want to thank everyone and especially also the matron to give us an unforgetable experience. An experience that makes us more open, more aware and teaches us to appreciate everything we have even more.
We also had the pleasure to share this experience and our knowledge on HIV/AIDS with the students at the International Medical University (IMU) yesterday. We really enjoyed giving this workshop and answering the clever questions the students asked. We really enjoyed your cooperation, insights and views. Thank you all!
And yet another exciting event is coming up: the train-the-trainers conference on HIV/AIDS by Standard Chartered Bank in Kuala Lumpur which we are attending on friday and saturday. We will tell you all about in our next message.
We are enjoying all our experiences as much as possible, since a couple of us are going home soon... :(.... On the other hand, new trainees for the project have arrived, again from different parts of the world: Greece, Germany, UK & Egypt. They will shortly introduce themselves to you extensively.
See, hear, read you soon!
Jessica, Sarah, Pauline, Tangulu & Dorien
HOPE Team July - August 2010
