About ACET Ireland
Pat
has lost 4 of his brothers & sisters to AIDS, and is HIV positive
himself. Desperately thin when we first met him, he walked with a frame
as a result of being shot a few months earlier. With a long history of
heroin and other addictions, crime and illness, Pat didn’t believe that
life held anything more for him or that anyone was really interested in
helping him.
ACET worked with Pat, bringing him to
the hospital & clinics, and slowly gaining his trust. Over time, we
helped him picture what it would be like to be healthy again, and to
believe that it might be possible. We encouraged him to set goals,
small ones at first: to eat regularly, to take his medication. As he
began to believe that change was possible, he set bigger goals: To
reduce his clinic visits to once every 3 months, to play football
again, to go back to study, Over months, he saw regular improvement in
his health until eventually the consultant told him: “Well done, I’ll
see you in 3 months time.”
Pat is now on an employment training course. He isn’t playing football yet, but slowly getting there.
ACET
(AIDS Care Education & Training) was set up in 1992 as a Christian
response to the issue of HIV in Ireland. ACET is working towards an
Ireland where:
* HIV no longer significantly affects people’s lives
* Our clients no longer define themselves based on their HIV status
* Stigma and discrimination due to HIV is no longer significant.
To
do this we provide practical & emotional care support to adult and
youth clients as well as education & training on HIV, sexual health
awareness and related topics.
For further information on ACET Care & Education work, or to become a supporter, check out
www.acet.ie 
