By Jana Lee, CBF field personnel
I have been working with the local All4Aid center here in Cyprus for a year and a half. In that year I have had the opportunity to work closely with the volunteers here. There is a mix of ex-patriots from other countries, refugees, asylum seekers and local Cypriots. A lot of the immigrants here seeking asylum and refugee status have some heavy health issues and diagnoses. I have seen multiple times where misinformation about the health of people and the transmission of possible illnesses. As a public health educator, I have seen first-hand how the misinformation, myths and misunderstandings about diseases can cause fear and division among people.
After a few one on ones with people I provided a health training about communicable diseases and HIV. Almost all the volunteers attended, with about 20 in total, and we had a great time of discussion and learning. I could visibly see some of the confusion and fear leave as they learned more about the topic at hand. After the training, multiple people came up with continued questions. I was so excited to see their willingness to attend and learn something new. Hopefully it will encourage a higher level of understanding and unity. I will continue to provide health sessions and trainings about other topics moving forward.