Background to Stop Sida
It was in March 21st 2001 that the Stop SIDA “Nkebure Uwumva” association was created as a community based organisation having mission to fight against HIV/AIDS in Burundian Refugee communities located in the Western part of Tanzania.
The person who founded Stop SIDA had an idea of searching for a new reason to live. After he was tested HIV positive, the initiator, Mr Sebisaba Noé, realized that he had no more other contribution to the community than searching how to prevent others from contamination of HIV/AIDS.
Since its establishment, Stop SIDA expanded from one person to hundreds of members. Nowadays, Stop SIDA operates in four refugee camps and has 916 members among them 51 have publicly declared being HIV positive.
a) What does Stop SIDA-“Nkebure Uwumva” means?
Because the association was founded in order to fight against HIV contamination, when someone having HIV says “I Stop SIDA (AIDS)”, it means for him/her that he/she cannot let the Virus get out of his/her body to someone else. Similarly, when a non- infected individual is determined to stop SIDA (AIDS), he/she avoids acquiring the HIV virus in any means.
By applying this slogan in their daily life, infected and non- infected people will be acting appropriately and will succeed to decelerate the contamination of HIV/AIDS. In brief, Stop SIDA members have a task of advising the whole society. Stop SIDA “Nkebure Uwumva” means “Stop AIDS-advice to people who are ready to receive it”.
b) Task performed by Stop SIDA association
The Stop SIDA association has the duty to raise care by informing and educating people through peer groups. This means that the youth, parents and people living with HIV/AIDS share each other information about how to fight against HIV/AIDS.
The strategies used by Stop SIDA to reach the community are workshop, mass campaigns, training, concert sessions, participatory community based theatre, community mobilisation and community based care. In order to attract many listeners, Stop SIDA uses cinema and video projectors to avoid spectators to be bored. The information and education about HIV/AIDS is given in a funny way. When Stop SIDA wants to mobilise the public opinion on HIV/AIDS, it plans film shows, meetings, seminars, traditional song and drama performances.
c) Mission, vision and values
The main concern of Stop SIDA “Nkebure Uwumva” in educating the community is to dismiss the myths and rumours that surround AIDS. Stop SIDA desire is to develop into a strong organisation that will build awareness and eradicate any other form of discrimination related to HIV/AIDS. Its major objective is to live and let others live. In order to decrease HIV spread in refugee camps, Stop SIDA collaborates with other NGOs dealing with health matters such as UMATI, SAEU, and IRC.
Stop SIDA was mainly launched to provide information and education on HIV/AIDS, and to improve the health well being of people infected by HIV. The information was focussing on helping the refugees countering rumours on HIV and enabling them to make informed choices in the domain of HIV/AIDS.