from individuals for things like training, but who

page 3 of 3

1 / 2 / 3

home

contents of issue 75
back issues
the gazette
recipes
small ads
contacting us
weblinks

will fund conference attendance?
I approached four drug companies and asked them for support in re-training costs to be a counsellor. Each company sent me a refusal letter while at the same time paying for a friend's hotel bill and flight to a conference in Canada.
Each year magazines are saturated with reports from exotic conference locations. Preference is given to the staff members rather than clients. So magazines are awash with the same repeated information over and over again as staff suntans fade!
What we need is re-training grants for individuals with HIV, so we can create new employment possibilities for ourselves. Body Positive and London Lighthouse spent vast amounts of money that could have been used as a training bursary for positive people.
We are talking millions. I worked at London lighthouse and, believe me, the extravagance and wastage was astounding. The result? Most of its service users are still on the dole.

What do you think? Write to us with your comments. In the next SpeakUp, UK Coalition Chief Executive, Stephen Bitti, will reply to the points in this piece.
The next two issues of Positive Nation will also contain our 2002 Readers' Survey for you to fill in. Tell us what you want from your HIV magazine.