#SOMEBODYLIKEME Campaign in Malaysia

2013 is going to end soon. Any meaningful thing you did within this year? Well, I think I did something meaningful this year. 

If you added me in Facebook as friend, you would noticed that I posted a lot of questions and even tagging some of you to join in for discussion. Yes, that is #SOMEBODYLIKEME campaign. 

#SOMEBODYLIKEME Campaign is month-long campaign launched on 15th November 2013 aimed at educating Malaysian youths on HIV/AIDS. As part of the campaign, I start off by posting questions like below:

This is the one of the questions I posted but the response I got seem like avoiding the question I asked. And perhaps one of my friend feeling offended when I trying to direct her/him to the question.

I really want to help out the campaign to make it successful one. Thus, I searched the data and info online as well as pictures from different sources and posted in my status. That is one of my strategy to trigger my friend to think and comment on that question by looking at the statistic or the funny picture.

Throughout the campaign, I did not even come across any funny comment but some comments were long. I supposed they were really enthusiastic in the discussion. Above all, I do agree Malaysian government should have sex education included in school at young age. Why I have this thought?

I was so sad when I read the news regarding 14-Year-Old Philip Chism Rapes 24-Year-Old Teacher With A Tree Branch Before Slitting Her Throat. How could one imagine that 14 years old kids can be so evil to murder and rapes his teacher? 

Sex might be taboo to talk in some ethnic group or family, thus curious youths tends to find out themselves by watching porn movie. Some porn movies have violence factors, immature thinking youths may learn and practices what the character doing. That is why introduction of sex education at young age is crucial.

Even though many were not joining for conversation but I believed all of my Facebook friends who online already read it although they were not commenting. One of my friends even shared it at her own status.

Playing my part as social media influencer by sharing the right information about HIV/ AIDS , safe sex and etc is really easy for me to do it. I believe others may think so. I remembered I joined as volunteer during my university time to help PT foundation (Malaysia’s  largest community-based HIV/AIDS organisation)on World AIDS Day to collect the donation from public asking one by one walking around Bukit Bintang area. Every time we back to the station with whole box of money, I felt so happy and thought our sacrifice was worth even though I was tired walking whole day as the money could help non-profit PT foundation to continue its mission helping those stigmatized HIV/AIDS drug users (IDUs), men who have sex with men (MSM), and female sex workers (FSMs) . Don't forget they need our concerns too. Comparing to asking donation from public one by one, sharing information to educate via social media platform is much more easier.



#SOMEBODYLIKEME campaign not only brought information to others, it gave some impacts on me. I think I learnt from my friend too when they commenting and joining in the conversation created.
I noticed that the level of acceptance on the sex topic/AIDS, STD related topics in Malaysia is low. Much more works need to be done.  Hopefully the campaign will still be carry on and definitely I will join the fun together if held again next year.

In conjunction with World AIDS Day, Reckitt Benckiser’s Durex Malaysia (Durex) contributed RM8,000 and 50,000 pieces of Durex condoms to PT Foundation. The donations were raised in collaboration with retail giants Watsons Malaysia and Guardian Pharmacy Malaysia in support of PT Foundation’s on-going HIV/AIDS advocacy work and education programmes in Malaysia. The fundraising initiative was part of Durex’s #SOMEBODYLIKEME World AIDS Day Campaign. As part of the on-going charity drive, Durex has pledged to one piece of condom with every pack of Durex condoms purchased at Watsons and RM0.20 per pack purchased at Guardian was channelled to PT Foundation. 

#Somebodylike campaign in Malaysia has been recognised as one of the few successful campaign that took place worldwide along with other countries. On top of that, the campaign is a successful case out of the global campaigns done by Social Grooves.

Even though the campaign has came to an end, but the efforts of creating a world free of HIV and AIDS should not abate. We should therefore work together for a better world!

To learn more about the #SOMEBODYLIKEME Campaign, please visit Durex Malaysia’s Facebook, Twitter or YouTube, at www.facebook.com/DurexMalaysia, www.twitter.com/DurexMY or www.youtube.com/user/durexmalaysia. You may also visit PT Foundation’s website at www.ptfmalaysia.org to educate yourself about HIV and AIDS.