Praisleen Loney , GUAHAN Project Administrative Assistant
I was born in a small village in Pohnpei, called Palikir.  We say "kaselelia" means “greetings” in a respectable manner.  I'm so grateful to God in heaven for bestowing each and everyone of us strength, faith, courage, love, and happiness; for welcoming everyone to the newly GUAHAN Project website. 

My parents raised me up in a protestant church, along with my five brothers and a sister.  So, I know how it feels like to be reached out to, physically and emotionally.  My father is a preacher.  Being a preacher's daughter I hear everyday how God's love can cure everything.  Since I moved from the island of Pohnpei to Guam, I've learned about the AIDS epidemic.  It touches my heart deeply to see a person living with AIDS.  For all the criticism I see from the people living without AIDS, on people with AIDS it's very sad.  Instead of reaching out and helping them and showing them they could be loved, they show them hate. 

That's what makes me want to work in the AIDS organization (GUAHAN Project).  I want to show people living with the HIV, the virus that causes AIDS, that there's still hope for being loved.  I want to help and educate the rest of the world, especially the Pohnpei community, about AIDS. 

To the best of my knowledge, I encourage the people to please practice safe sex and do not share needles.  For me, ABSTINENCE is the best way to go.

Director’s Notes:  The Normal Heart
“The human contribution is the essential ingredient.  It is only the giving of oneself to others that we truly live.”  These are the words of Ethel Perry Andrus.  Words that truly represent the work you are about to witness tonight.  The Normal Heart was just another job I auditioned for as a professional actor.  I played the role of Mickey Marcus.  But I did not realize the impact and the importance of this work as a theatre piece and a message piece.  We learn a great deal about each other based on our histories and actions.  This play is a history on the plague we know as AIDS and is one of most important examples of getting to know what we are up against as activists and people living in the age of this disease. 

The presentation of this play is not as unorthodox as you might think.  Plays go through processes of evolution known as staged readings.  The directors, producers, and playwrights need to see the play “on its feet” and more importantly the actors giving the characters a voice.  We as actors kindly and graciously give you this work as an expression of our dedication to educating the public about AIDS and the prejudice that surrounds it.  The work itself is presented in the simplest form possible – bare stage, uniformed costumes, and basic lighting.  It is now your job to use your imagination to create the scenarios and situations.  We hope to help you in the images you create. 

Now we ask you to contribute and to give of yourself for this cause we feel so strongly. 

Ricky Vergara, Director, The Normal Heart (Read More)