Ta’ayosh, the Coexistence campaign, is working to erase the negative social stigma around patients of AIDS and the discrimination they face from health providers due to the misconceptions the public health providers have towards the virus and its transmission. The campaign works to raise the public awareness of HIV virus.

A group of alumni of the Cairo Institute for Human Rights Studies, CIHRS, met with a number of AIDS patients. They organized an intensive workshop and interviews with the patients in order to gather as much information as possible about their stories. They also adapted stories from the book, “Letters from Egypt,” which was put together by the Egyptian forums against discrimination and shaming after transforming the stories into the common dialect to fit into the theatrical narrative.

After collecting information, the graduates of the Cairo Institute for Human Rights Studies produced a theatrical play, “Disease is Not a Crime,” presenting ten true stories of people living with AIDS. The play shows the hardship, challenges, and discrimination patients of AIDS face on a daily basis by the service providers and society. In an effort to raise awareness of HIV, the Cairo Institute for Human Rights Studies produced a short video to promote the campaign’s goals. 

A "teaser" for the play that was produced is available (in Arabic only): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gLp_un_C2es.

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