Counting Condoms. Size matters

Last evening was mainly spent counting condoms and femidoms. Why? As I'm part of the project group "Actions Triporteur" for Groupe sida Genève this year, it's also our job to prepare all the material for the people who then will do HIV/AIDS prevention with the triporteur (the triporteur is a tri-wheeled cart, looks like a mobile ice-cream vending bicycle). Actually, the actions triporteur are only part of the real group I'm part of, namely "Target + 35", but that's another story. So, last evening, Victor and I had to prepare the bags carrying the "catch-covers" for each of the six evenings during which prevention will be done with the triporteur. Catch-covers are those little cardbord envelopes carrying (in Groupe sida's case) :

• 1 regular sized condom + 1 smaller sized condom + 1 dose of lubricant + 1 manual with multilingual safer sex rules (YELLOW catch-cover)
• 1 regular sized condom + 1 larger sized condom + 1 dose of lubricant + 1 manual with multilingual safer sex rules (VIOLET catch-cover)

Before I continue: Groupe sida doesn't just distribute condoms/femidoms. We always (try to. If the crowd is too big and you're walking past them, it doesn't always work) inform people on the importance of using the right size (and shape) of condoms, and don't give out femidoms without explaining its proper use. If you do prevention, do it right! Why these colors? Yellow is the color of the individual wrapping of the smaller sized condom (we use ""Mamba" of the brand "Cosano" by Migros), and violet the one of the larger sized condom (we use the brand "Hot Rubber" for all other condoms). The problem, if I so might say, with Mamba is that even the condom itself is fluorescent yellow: The marketing was done to aim adolescents between 15 and 20. They seem to have forgotten that there are also male ADULTS who need narrower and shorter condoms :-s I don't think they want to get "extra attention" looking like a disco lamp, as often they already don't feel comfortable being "smaller" than the average. It's so important for men to able to use their right condom size. It's a simple rule: Too big, it might come off, too tight, it might break. Don't buy a bigger size just because you want to "show off" with your partner! And if you do, don't blame the condom if it doesn't work out.

I find it excellent that now, Groupe sida has added the multilingual safer sex rules. I hope they will be read! This year, Groupe sida's focus is with migrants/migration, so that's the reason behind it.