Miss Universe to hug HIV kids

Miss Universe Jennifer Hawkins longs to hug some of our children living with AIDS/HIV, she revealed yesterday. The lithe blonde gently fielded questions at a news conference at Crowne Plaza to launch her four-day visit to Trinidad. Light and lovely and demure, she was like a ray of sunshine from Australia. In response to reporters’ questions, she said since winning the title, she had been learning a lot about AIDS. “I have met a lot of young people who have contracted this disease.” She effused about her upcoming visit on Monday to the Cyril Ross Home for children living with HIV/AIDS. “Just one thing I’d personally do - a kiss on the cheek. I’d give them a hug, I’d give them a huddle, so the press can get that.” She hoped to get across the message that it was okay to touch someone living with HIV.

“A kiss, a cuddle, a hug of people who do have HIV/AIDS. There shouldn’t be a stigma surrounding it”. While some persons with HIV might not want to talk about it at present, she hoped that her hugging of someone with HIV might open  people up to talking about the issue. She was asked which aspect of the A-B-C (Abstinence, Be faithful, Condoms) strategy against AIDS she would advise young people to follow. “I think it’s everyone’s choice. I know there’s a whole thing with abstinence but I mean I do think we need to talk to our children and get across that if they are not going to do that then they need to be safe.

“We do need to talk. This is a society, this is real life. Not everyone does abstinence so we do need to be safe.” Asked if she had a message for local youth, she drew on her own experience in struggling for modelling jobs before eventually winning Miss Universe. “If you have a dream, just don’t think it’s impossible, because it does happen. It could come up and just sneak up on you out of the blue”. She urged youngsters to strive hard and to keep studying in school. Hawkins recalled the excitement of the Pageant which she said she had entered “just for fun” but which had exceeded her wildest dreams. On Sunday, she is due to attend the Magnificent Seven Pageant for the selection of a new Miss Trinidad and Tobago.