Sarwan signs HIV/AIDS pledge
By Clyde Pestano
Stabroek News
June 13, 2004
" You need to abstain as much as you can and if you cannot, I think you have to be responsible and try to protect your self at all times," this was the statement made by batting sensation West Indies vice-captain Ramnaresh Sarwan to all Guyanese yesterday after signing an HIV/AIDS pladge at the Ministry of Health.
The pledge "Me to you: Reach one-save one" is the latest innovation by the Ministry of Health with technical and material support from the United States Agency for International Development( USAID) and Population Services International (PSI) to make people more aware of HIV/AIDS.
With Sarwan signing the pledge he has made himself available to pass positive messages on HIV to his friends, relatives, and fellow cricketers.
Shirley Thomas, coordinator of the campaign related to Staroek Sport that emphasis is being placed on sporting personalities because the young people of Guyana more or less look up to the local sporting stars and would follow what they say and do.
It was also explained that the objective of the Ministry of Health was to get at least 100,000 people to sign the campaign by December 1st world AIDS day.
To date Sarwan is the third sports personality to sign the pledge, the other two are World Boxing Council Cruiserweight champion Wayne 'Big Truck,' Braithwaite and Guyana's first female champion, WIBA Lightheavy weight champion Gwendolyn O'neil.
When Captain of the national cricket team Shivnarine Chanderpaul returns to Guyana the Ministry of Health will also try to get him to sign the pledge.
(Faizool Deo)