Today is World Aids Day and local activists will tell you it is not a celebration but rather an observance because there is nothing to celebrate. More Belizeans than ever are living with HIV and Aids and more Belizeans than ever are also dying from the Aids related causes. And all those reasons say why a solidarity march was held today. The participants ranged from the nation's political leaders to community leaders all walking side by side through downtown Belize City in the symbolic march for World Aids Day. They all walked for one cause but different reasons. Keith Swift_found out some of them.
Hon. Said Musa
"We are doing this because we want to champion the need for change. There is need to change the behavior of young people in particular."
Margat Young, High School Student
"I just want to make a difference for everybody."
KS: What good does walking do?
Margat Young,
"Well just to get the message out there to everybody to use protection when they have sex and stuff like that."
Yvette Burks, BFLA
"This is a sign of my solidarity with the rest of the world in responding and fighting HIV and Aids."
Anna Reyes, BFLA
"My walking signifies solidarity to fighting the cause of HIV and Aids."
KS: What is the good of walking for you?
Rachel Mejia, High School Student
"I just hope everyone will learn to be safe and protect themselves."
But it seems the walking and talking isn't helping Belize's HIV and Aids problem. At least not according to Rodel Pererra from the Alliance Against Aids who says Belize still has long way to go.
Rodel Beltran Perrera, Alliance Against Aids
"I don't think we are getting where we need to get. I think we are making little baby steps in that direction. I think we have accomplished a lot of things over the past year because we are seeing the number of cases continue to rise which is a trend from 1997. So we really need to look at what we are accomplishing and I don't think we are reaching there yet."
The National Aids Commission says they are currently 162 Belizeans receiving anti-retroviral medication.