YOGYAKARTA-Celebrating World AIDS Day which falls on December 1st, students of the Faculty of Medicine UGM joining SCORA CIMSA (Centre for Indonesian Medical Student Activities) on Sunday, November 28 held fun walk and the record-breaking of Indonesian Record Museum (MURI) by making red ribbon along the 500 m at Pancasila Field of UGM. The activity entitled "Longmarch – Sunday Morning – Pancasila Field, 500 m Ribbon Breaking MURI’s Longest Record".
Fabiola Supit, chairman of the committee, accompanied by program section head, Siti Rahmayanti, said that the activity was followed by more than 200 students. The event was also enlivened with music, games, and talk show presenting transvestites and people with HIV/ AIDS. "We do not only break MURI’s record, but also hold a musical performance and share with people with HIV and transvestites who suffer from HIV/AIDS. Therefore, there will be more understanding about HIV/AIDS, especially among students and young generation," Fabiola said.
The reason for the implementation of this event, according to Fabiola, is to further raise awareness of students and the youth about the danger of HIV/ AIDS. The red ribbon has been internationally agreed as a symbol of AIDS. The 500 m in length and 1.5 m in width ribbon was obtained from donors/contributors who buy fabric from students at 10,000 rupiah per meter. The fundraising obtained from at least 500 contributors produced 500 m of fabric. "Certainly, there are other donors, such as from the students, professors, NGOs, and so on," she added.
Later, the red ribbon will be sold and donated to the survivors of Mount Merapi eruptions.
Meanwhile, Dean of the Faculty of Medicine UGM, Prof. dr. Mukti Ali Ghufron M.Sc., Ph.D., at the same site said the issue of HIV/ AIDS now becomes the world’s attention because it continues to spread, including in Indonesia. Ali Gufron hopes that public awareness of the danger of HIV/AIDS will increase. "The disease still spreads because public health behavior is still minimal, so they are easily infected with HIV/ AIDS, either through sex or syringe," he said.
Ghufron added that the 500 m ribbon activity is to remind people to be cautious against the spread of HIV/ AIDS. Ghufron is concerned that the handling of HIV/AIDS in Indonesia is much slower compared with in other countries, such as Thailand. "Thailand, for example, has been increasingly able to confront the spread of HIV/AIDS, but Indonesia is still not good. It’s like the case of the economic crisis. Neighboring countries have done much, but not Indonesia," said Ghufron who sang a song about HIV/AIDS at the event.
This record has beaten the previous record made by ITB with 200 m of ribbon. The presentation of MURI award was submitted by Wida, MURI representative, to the Dean.