[Concilie Niyibitanga]

In today’s society, every person knows at least one person living with HIV/AIDS or who has died of HIV/AIDS but it is still difficult especially for the youths to change their bad sexual related behavior.

According to UNAIDS 2000 report, the number of infected people was estimated at 34 million in which about 95 percent living in the developing world and an overwhelming 70 percent in Sub-Saharan Africa alone.

The same report reveals that the African continent has the highest incidence of HIV/AIDS in the world with some 23.3 million people infected. The countries with the highest prevalence rates were located in the east, southern and central parts. The very worst affected countries on the continent were in Southern Africa; Botswana has an infection rate of 35.80% and Zimbabwe 25.06%.

However, most people seem to be not threatened and are still ignorant; others are working intensively in a bid to eradicate that terrifying disease without cure as its spreading is increasing day after day especially in African countries.

A good pattern is one young association called STOP-SIDA Nkebure Uwumva; may be you have not yet heard about this association or if you have heard about it you don’t know its origin.

The association originated in Kanembwa refugee camp in Kibondo district Kigoma region where a patriotic man called Noe Sebisaba decided to declare himself as one of the people living with HIV/AIDS, and he was the first person in the camps to declare publicly that he is HIV victim.

He then found that it was wise and essential to rescue the lives of those who are not yet infected by initiating a small group of people, and then launch an association called STOP-SIDA NKEBURE UWUMVA with its main objectives been making awareness to the people living in the camps about HIV/AIDS.

The awareness was based on informing people that AIDS kills and does not choose whom to kill. His target was to motivate people to make HIV tests and know about their health situations.

Moreover, once a person knows his or her health it is very easy to protect him or herself and the society around him or her. People were aroused to work under the motto of not allowing HIV viruses to depart from infected people to those who are still being healthy.

Today, STOP-SIDA NKEBURUMVA have saved and is still saving the lives of many people due to its intensive activities, and its members have increased in number and are real working with aim of eliminating HIV /AIDS.

The fact that the ideology of talking about sex in public or to children is seen as immoral, and hinders prevention forces; it has led parents not to have open discussion and education on issues concerning sex in their families; that’s why most children find themselves in darkness on things about HIV/AIDS.

Moreover, the problem of isolating people living with HIV/AIDS is another obstacle to the prevention of HIV, as many of them will have shame to say publicly that they are HIV positive and start teaching others or benefiting other assistances like food and medicaments.

The isolation does not only hurt or affect those who are living with HIV/AIDS but also affects the whole society morally, socially and economically because may be if you are not yet transmitted, one of your relatives or your friends is living with HIV/AIDS.

This problem is mostly common in African societies. Countries that have succeeded to reduce the spread of this pandemic disease have also made step forward to remove these isolation and all other social discrimination and stereotypes based on HIV/AIDS.

The solution is not isolating HIV/AIDS sufferers but to take care of them and to listen to their teachings as learning from a person living with HIV/AIDS touches much. The truth and openness about HIV should be well understood.

The fact that the main way of HIV transmission is sexual intercourse and still people seems not to believe it; the society should work up and find the best means of eradicating this threat. Furthermore, organizations and associations dealing with HIV/AIDS prevention can not succeed alone without cooperation of the whole society and the world at large.

COME ONCE, COME ON ALL; AND STOP SIDA!

This entry was posted on Saturday, June 25th, 2005 at 3:44 pm and is filed under Stop Sida. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.