Breaking Stigma Starts with Us

At Dilaab Digitals, awareness means looking out for one another. It's how we show care, not just share knowledge. That’s why on July 11, 2025, we gathered for a late evening session not for compliance, but to challenge myths, open our eyes, and talk about something that too often goes unspoken: HIV and the stigma that surrounds it.

Initiated by our HR Department, the session titled “Breaking the Stigma: HIV Awareness Seminar” was led by Florenda Pardo, an educator and advocate with years of experience teaching others not only about HIV, but also about the people and the stories often overlooked behind the statistics.

Starting with Curiosity and Compassion

Florenda began with an interactive quiz, inviting Trailblazing VAs to engage in a word game with questions like:

• What fluids transmit HIV?

• Can it spread through saliva?

• What does “protection” really mean?

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It wasn’t a test of who knew what. It was a chance to speak up, listen in, and grow in understanding.

“Let’s try to understand how it works, how it affects our body… just the tip of the iceberg, HIV 101,” she shared.

With this simple start, we were reminded that HIV can be managed  and it’s not something to be feared or silenced. With early diagnosis and the right treatment, people living with HIV can lead long, healthy lives.

Facts That Break the Fear

Florenda clarified a common misconception: HIV is not the same as AIDS. HIV (Human Immunodeficiency Virus) weakens the immune system over time. AIDS (Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome) is a condition that may develop when HIV remains untreated but with proper care, many never reach that stage.

She explained:

• Fluids that can transmit HIV: blood, semen, vaginal fluids, rectal fluids, and breast milk

• Fluids that cannot: saliva, sweat, sharing food, or simple physical contact

  
  

What stayed with us the most wasn’t only the facts—it was the way she connected it all back to people and their lived experiences:

“It’s not the end of the day if we ever get contracted… hopefully we’ll know how to handle it.”

That line stayed with us, a reminder that compassion is the most important response to illness, not fear.

A Safe Space to Unlearn

Even in a virtual room, you could feel the atmosphere shift. Some VAs admitted they had held onto myths for years. For others, it was the first time HIV had been explained without shame or judgment.

When the silence gave way to understanding, something real took its place: clarity, responsibility, and kindness.

This session went beyond being just a health talk. It sparked reflection, about how we view illness, how we treat one another, and how unchecked stigma can quietly shape the way we see the world.

Why This Matters to Us

At Dilaab Digitals, advocacy shows up in the everyday. It's part of how we work, how we connect, and how we care in every message we send, every training we give, every conversation we choose to have. The HIV Awareness Seminar is part of our broader commitment to seeing people fully.

By holding space for these important topics, we make room for deeper understanding. And when people feel informed, seen, and respected, they flourish.

This is how we break the cycles of misinformation. This is how we uphold dignity. This is how we build a culture where every person matters.

Looking Forward

The session wrapped up not with final answers, but with a shared responsibility: 

 → To keep asking questions. 

 → To continue unlearning. 

 → To never let stigma go unchallenged.

At Dilaab Digitals, we walk this path together. Because change begins with every honest conversation.