Chibby’s friends is a newly established organization that aims to support the livelihood of children living with HIV through nutritional support, social awareness and integration, and initiating income generating activities for the parents of children living with HIV who live in adverse conditions. Currently funded by a Swiss organization, BASAID, they believe generating social awareness and facilitating social integration of individuals affected by HIV is vital towards preventing marginalization in the Sri Lankan community.

 

The group currently supports 30 families with children living with and affected by HIV through nutritional support and is pressing towards generating awareness and developing a sustainable economy for the same. The children are currently sheltered in two centres in Wellawatte and Alapaluwawa.

 

 

 

 

The primary causes for HIV coming into Sri Lanka are through means of migrant workers and the sex trade along the coast. Those living with HIV are said to be highly demoralized due to stigmatization. Common stigmas preach that HIV means death and it is a crime and shame. Shedding light on these notions, people with HIV positive can work perfectly well, and the means of contagion are extremely limited and specific. While minimizing exposure to HIV is imperative, as for those living with it, it is a dual role of both society and themselves to help them develop as contributing citizens to the labour force; NOT a burden on or erosion of public funds. The avenues opened for income generation need to be sustainable and on par with any contributive citizen, since survival requirements are the one and the same, they need proper nutrition and care. Skill development is also a core area, since it is sole means of enabling mainstream employment. 

 

 

 

Shock Therapy – Battle of the DJs, an event where up and coming DJs battled it out for a coveted title, dishing out music that the crowd loved to respond to, was held on the 19th of April at Kamikaze as a pilot event for Chibby’s Friends’ social awareness promotion. The preliminary round featured competitors Daham, Jehan, E-two and Dhari along with guest performances by established DJs like Jayy Vibes, Yazz. Guru, Curoi and Missy Flame. The event was put together with the object of raising HIV awareness, minimizing exposure to HIV and dissipating stigma in such a manner that the youth find attractive. The event was a fundraiser to support projects directed at the betterment of lives of children living with HIV. 

 

The night also featured items of guest interest where prizes were given away for the “best dancer”, “best couple” and “best tattoo” courtesy of Ariyana Spa, Colombo Courtyard, Cutting Station and Bliss tattoos and piercing.  

 

The audience voted in to adjudge Daham as the winner of the DJ spin off. Daham took home an attractive cash price as well he received the exposure that the young and talented often don’t receive in the field. The event was well attended with Kamikaze brimming over. The crowd danced the night away experiencing different genres of music, ranging from mainstream       commercial music to Electronic Dance Music.The organizers are very confident that the next event will attract a bigger crowd and they now plan to convert it to a reality show selecting the most popular DJ of the month and the best upcoming DJ of the month, which will lead up to a Grand Finale. 

 

 

 

 

By Nivedha Jeyaseelan