JEDDAH: The Charity Society for AIDS Patients organized a function for women AIDS carriers in Jeddah recently, Al-Watan newspaper reported on Thursday.

The meeting, which was organized in line with a plan recommended by the World Health Organization, the Family Health International (FHI) and some other related organizations, was held to raise the morale of AIDS patients and introduce them into the social mainstream.

“Since most patients keep their ailment a secret, all 10 participants were assured that their identities would never be disclosed. They wore masks and were assigned false names,” said Sana Falamban, chairperson of the Charity Society for AIDS Patients.

She added that the names given to the women were symbolic and inspirational, and included names such as Optimistic, Tenderhearted, Refined, Laughing and Serene.

“The function also aimed to create a sisterly atmosphere and sow the seeds of hope for healing and a normal life,” she added.

Participants were given an opportunity to share their worries with fellow sufferers, a process that positively impacted them.

According to one of the organizers, the women were given “an opportunity to boost their mental strength by realizing that other sufferers exist and are willing to share their pain with them.”

Speaking further about the event, Sana said the initial atmosphere of distrust and suspicion melted away as one of the attendees insisted on revealing her face. Others eventually did the same, she added.

This meeting, the first of a series, was held to help the women familiarize themselves with each other. Subsequent meetings will discuss topics such as what is AIDS, the immune system, chastity, loyalty to one’s partner, and the link between alcohol and AIDS.

According to a Ministry of Health statement in 2008, there were 1,274 newly discovered AIDS patients in the Kingdom of which 505 were Saudis. The total number of known AIDS cases, after the first reported case in the Kingdom in the 1980s until 2008, stood at 13,926. The statement added that around 3,500 of these AIDS carriers were Saudi and that 1,315 of these people died. It further said that all expatriate AIDS carriers were subsequently deported to their native countries.

The organizers also called on the public not to attach any stigma to the disease, refuse AIDS carriers jobs, despise them or do anything that would prevent them from integrating into society.