Moldovan journalists are being taught to cover HIV/AIDS. At a training seminar on Thursday, organized by the Representative Office of AIDS Foundation East West in Moldova, several representatives of the national mass media were familiarized with the most recent data about the spread of the disease all over the world, the situation in Moldova and methods of informing the public about HIV/AIDS. Olga Osadcii, the representative of AIDS Foundation East West in Moldova, has told Info-Prim Neo that the Foundation aims to provide the journalists with the most up-to-date records about HIV/AIDS and work creatively with the mass media representatives to formulate different themes so that these exercises become useful to the whole population. As a rule, the mass media raises this problem rather seldom, Osadcii said, “only when there are large-scale international events like December 1, when the whole world marks the AIDS Day, or the third Sunday of May, when it is celebrated the AIDS Memorial Day.” The materials that appear during the year are usually short and purely informative and cannot change the attitude of the people so as to make them more responsible towards their own health, Olga Osadcii said. According to her, this topic must be permanently covered by the mass media and be present in the agenda of the decision makers as the spread of this disease among the population can be stopped only through joint efforts. “Unfortunately, we speak about a very serious international problem that cannot be solved in a short period of time because very often this involves changes of attitude and behavior in the whole society and this cannot be done overnight,” Osadcii said. The seminar forms part of a training course launched in 2006. It will be continued in May, when the subject will be discussed by about 30 local reporters. Until May 1, the Foundation will organize a charity event themed “Feel At Home” to equip the antiretroviral treatment section for HIV-infected children of the National Dermatological and Venereal Diseases Dispensary so as to make the rooms similar to a child’s home. Anyone can donate paintings, drawings, rugs, vases, toys, etc. AIDS Foundation East-West (AFEW) is a Dutch, nongovernmental organization whose mission is to make a major contribution to the reduction of the impact of HIV/AIDS in Eastern Europe and Central Asia. Currently, AFEW operates in Russia, Ukraine, Moldova, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan and Mongolia