Onalenna Modikwa
17 November 2008
Selebi-Phikwe — Organisers of the national celebration to mark the World AIDS Day on December 1 have buckled the trend by making sure there are build-up activities ahead of the date.
Unlike before, the celebrations to be staged in Selebi-Phikwe have been preceded by an education and sensitisation campaign and a survey to assess the community's level of awareness and understanding of HIV/AIDS issues. The campaign and the survey have been carried out in Selebi-Phikwe and Bobirwa areas where local support groups and stakeholders in the fight against HIV/AIDS have intensified preparations for the commemorations. This year, the commemorations will not be a one-day event because of the activities that have been planned before December 1.
Selebi-Phikwe HIV/AIDS coordinator, Lamech Myengwa said that stakeholders meet every Wednesday to review progress. "We have satisfactorily publicised the event and the response has been so impressive hence we expect many organisations and partners in the fight against the disease to exhibit during the event. Much of the outreach programmes have been done," he said.
Myengwa indicated that the Sentinel Survey indicates that the HIV/AIDS prevalence among pregnant women stands at 49 percent in Selebi-Phikwe. He said residents of the town go for tests and their response to available interventions is evident. However, the impact on the HIV/AIDS statistics is negligible probably because the same people repeat tests while others do not test.
Myengwa said Tebelopele Counselling and Testing Centre, through its outreach programmes is doing well and is favourite to many people probably because of its privacy. He said his office is trying very hard to conduct testing through the local resource support groups. There are about nine such groups in Selebi-Phikwe with specific areas of specialisation in the fight against HIV/AIDS like peer mothers, testing, condom distribution and community mobilisation. This year's event will be commemorated under the theme: 'Stop AIDS, Keep The Promise'.
Meanwhile in Bobirwa, the response management structures in place include the District Multi-Sectoral AIDS Committee that oversees all HIV/AIDS activities in the sub-district. They are supported by the Village Multi-Sectoral AIDS Committees (VMSAC). Each VMSAC is required to submit plans to Bobirwa DMSAC for final approval. Meetings are held on a quarterly basis.
Currently Mmadinare is the only village in Bobirwa that has a functioning VMSAC. The Bobonong committee has just been formed.
Labelano Lorato support group in Bobonong and the newly established Sefophe support groups are the only ones that are active. In Gobojango, Semolale and Tsetsebjwe, support groups are still at the infancy stage. Mmadinare Children's Corner - an orphan care centre - was established in 2004 with the initiative of the then Total Community Mobilisation field officers. It has enrolled 47 children some of whom are not orphans. Fees paid by non-orphaned children are used to support the activities of the centre.
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