One Life Experience School Tour Educates Local Youths on HIV/AIDS Issues

The One Life Experience is a 140-square-metre exhibition that allows each visitor to literally “walk through” the life of a person affected by HIV/AIDS. It is experiential, educational and symbolic of the way the world looks at those living with HIV/AIDS.

This unique exhibition was first launched in Singapore on 1 December 2007, on World Aids Day, an internationally observed day devoted to the awareness of HIV/AIDS. Organised by World Vision Singapore and Health Promotion Board, the public exhibition was held for a period of two months, and visited by more than 8,000 people from all walks of life. From the success of this public exhibition, the Health Promotion Board (Youth Division) decided to bring the One Life Experience to the schools.

The One Life Experience School Tour held from March to April this year provided students from Pasir Ris Secondary School, Pei Cai Secondary School, and Temasek Junior College with the same opportunity to walk through one of three lives (or “life threads”) based on real-life stories:

      • A young girl from Cambodia forced into the sex trade
      • A young orphaned African girl taking care of her younger sister
      • A Singaporean man who wonders if he has infected his family with HIV

Said school counsellor, Ms Jenny Tan, who coordinated the exhibition in Pasir Ris Secondary School from 9-13 March 2009, “The exhibition provides a meaningful platform for students to learn more about HIV and AIDs and its impact on the people around the world. I believed it has changed the mindset and attitude of many students towards HIV carriers. Personally, I am humbled by the stories of the victims. I would like to thank HPB and World Vision for staging the exhibition in our school.”

Her sentiments were shared by students in her school, like Nur Ain Bte Khairudin, 16, who said “I thought that people with people with HIV and AIDs will just be affected physically and not much emotionally. After walking through the exhibit, I realised that HIV/AIDs made a great impact a person's life.”

It was especially heartening to hear youth like Yeo Jia Yee, Sec 3, talk about the change in her personal mindset “After going through the exhibition, I learnt more about HIV and AIDS, and at the same time, felt sorry for those who are positively diagnosed. I don't mind extending my friendship to them.”

Over 1,300 students went through the One Life Experience during the week-long exhibition at Pasir Ris Secondary School.

In addition to educating and enlightening youths on HIV/AIDS, the One Life Experience also provided avenues for them to take concrete action to make a difference. Students who were moved by the real-life stories could bring home a Love Loaf, a small piggy bank that they could fill with loose change, and return it to World Vision at the end of one month. All collected monies would be channelled towards World Vision’s One Life Fund, an educational bursary for children in Singapore affected by HIV/AIDS.

World Vision Singapore is deeply grateful for Health Promotion Board’s support towards the One Life Experience School Tour, and looks forward to future collaborations to continue reducing stigma and discrimination of HIV/AIDS in Singapore.