What does it all mean??

SO.... I'm in Koforidua now, and I've begun the 'volunteer placement' part of my program at a house called Matthew 25. It's a support house for people living with HIV/AIDS, and it works both with people who have the virus and to raise awareness about it among the general population. One of the ways it does this is by holding a Pre-Valentine program every year. They invite various members of the community and discuss the true meaning of Valentine's Day, the reality of HIV/AIDS and stigmas about the virus, and also have a testimonial from someone living with HIV/AIDS. This year, they have targeted trade specialists and apprentices as their main audience for the event, and, due to budget restraints, have limited the numbers to 25 women and 25 men. The most interesting part I have seen about the program so far (as it has not yet happened and thus I have not actually witnessed the program itself), is the way they register people to come: rather than using more common forms of announcement (newspaper, posters, radio, etc.), 2 of my colleagues and I have spent the last two days walking around Koforidua and surrounding towns personally inviting people to come and registering them on the spot. At first, this might not seem so interesting, but then I think about it in reference to Canada, and I see that it's highly unlikely this type of approach would even work, let alone evoke the eager response it's gotten. Picture just walking down the street, stopping in at various beauty shops, tailoring shops, carpentry shops and manufacturing shops, and saying:
"Hello. We are from Matthew 25 House and are going around to invite people to a Pre-Valentine program, being held at Matthew 25 on February [3rd for men, 4th for women]. We are going to talk about the essence and meaning of Valentine's Day, about HIV/AIDS, and about surrounding stigmas and discrimination. Also, someone living with the virus will give a testimony about the reality of life with HIV/AIDS. The program will be held from 8:30 am to 1:00pm, and we would like you to come."
Keep in mind that we don't know these people, we don't know how they feel or what they believe about HIV/AIDS, and we are asking them to leave their shops (and thus their income) for a whole morning to come and hear why Valentine's Day is not just about sex. Would it fly in Canada? As sad as it may be, my first response is "no". At least, if it did, I highly doubt people would be willing to sign up on the spot and respond with such phrases as "by all means, I WILL be there!"
I don't know the reason for such a difference, and though I do know that there are definitely some misinformed beliefs about the cause and spread of HIV/AIDS among Ghanaian people, I can't help but think that in some ways they are still leaps ahead of my own culture. Perhaps it has just been that in our undying effort to press forth in the name of knowledge, power, and freedom, we have somehow taken giant leaps backwards that have left us ignorant, complacent, and imprisoned in (false) self-satisfaction and instant gratification. I see the differences here. What they mean and why they are are still unknown to me. I can speculate from my point of view, but it is still ignorant in many areas and, as someone from the western world, is likely highly misguided. I think the most frustrating part right now is trying to figure out how to change that (my ignorance). I cannot work for change outside of myself until I have an internal understanding and awareness of what and where that change should be. I realize I may have become a little too abstract in these last thoughts, but I suppose it is a good representation of what my head has been like for these past few months...
I think it might all come back to the question of change. Change is good, right? Well, my answer? As long as it is done responsibly. Change itself is a kind of power. If one can change not out of necessity, it is power. If one can change without acknowledging the effects of that change, it is unearned, unbalanced power. When one country can change by exploiting another, it's not okay. When one country can choose to change for the betterment of the global village, but chooses not to, it's not okay, it's not fair, and it's not responsible.
I see I have gotten a little off topic here, but hopefully my rantings will strike a chord with someone who will decide to become an ambassador for responsible change. As for myself, I feel somewhat incapable of doing anything of real value at this point and in this place. But perhaps, or moreover, hopefully, when my adventure here has ended and I have returned to Canada, and I myself re-read these words, that person will be me. In that case, it will all have been worthwhile.

I send my love and hugs to everyone back home, and anyone else who may happen upon this.