MTV - 2

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My first MTV event was targeting women in Rabat.  We drove to the local organization that works towards giving woman jobs and skill sets they can use outside the home.  We set up a table with posters and flyers and had 3 speakers for day’s event.  Around 50 women were in attendance.  The OPALS gynecologist spoke first about safe sex and how sexually transmitted infections are spread.  Then our MTV coordinator talked how the testing process would happen in the MTV.  Last, my boss conveyed the importance of taking control of ones health and getting the test done.  I understood almost none of it as it was in Arabic, but I felt the meaning (plus I asked afterwards what they said). 

“Let’s talk about sex baby, and all the STD’s”

After the presentation there was time for Q&A but few people spoke up.  I was worried that the women might be put off by getting the test done, insinuating that they or their significant others could be HIV positive.  I was especially worried for older woman in the crowd who were sitting front and center during the presentations and the first ones out the door once it was done.  To my surprise, their eagerness to leave the building was so they could be the first in line to get tested!  After their lead, all the rest of the woman followed to get tested.  While everyone waited in line to either get the test or wait for the results, they would talk to other women passing by telling them they should get tested too.  Word of mouth is still the best method in Morocco for getting the message out to the people.  The general feeling of the event was that of a normal social gathering of friends, catching up on the latest gossip.  It was way more chill than I thought it would be!    

I can't use my old ladies so here are Google old ladies

With the MTV parked right outside the woman’s facility on a busy street, with a large group of women standing around it, it was no wonder we got plenty of onlookers.  I thought this exposure was positive and we would get more people coming up to get tested.  For women passing by that was mostly true.  However the majority of the onlookers were men who, after we explained what we were doing, declined the free test.  I guess sit and watching form the sidelines was a fun way to spend the afternoon...

One person who was walking down the street came up to me to ask what was going on (or at least I think that is what she said).  She had to be close to 100 and completely adorable.  I said that we were doing SIDA (AIDS in French) testing for free in my best French.  She smiled her wrinkled face at me and started climbing the stairs.  I gave her my hand to help her up, as there is no railing up into the MTV, and then back down when she was finished.  As she was descending down she kissed the top of my head and squeezed my hand in thanks.  I just couldn’t help my brain from immediately thinking “fairy godmother!”  I smiled and felt like a pretty princess.  Something about little old ladies being sweet to me (and not giving me apples or a spinning wheel) brings out the Disney in me.

"I want new shoes!" 

Tomorrow we talk with the Immigrant population and why I need to buy a bigger umbrella.