HIV/AIDS street rallies held in Chad
Moundou, Chad - As the deadly HIV and AIDS pandemic continues to rampage Africa and the world at large, activists in Chad, one of Africa's war-torn countries, recently held awareness rallies in the streets of Moundou. Clad in T-shirts emblazoned with the message : “Protégeons-nous, protégeons les autres contre le SIDA” (Let us protect ourselves by protecting others against AIDS), the activists conducted open sessions where Chadians across the city freely discussed the scourge with doctors, social workers and other experts.
“Before this meeting, I was thinking that people who are HIV and AIDS positive must not eat with healthy people. Now I understand that people with HIV and AIDS can live for many years if cared for by their families", said Felicitè a participant at the rallies.
The 10 days street campaign was organized by FUMI - Femmes Unies contre la Misère et l'Ignorance (Women United against Misery and Ignorance), a women’s group in Chad which mobilises women and men to fight HIV and AIDS and their effects on individuals, families and community.
The project was supported by the World Association for Christian Communication (WACC) and its German partner WWDP (Women’s World Day of Prayer).
Under their generous support, FUMI also conducted other awareness activities including radio programmes led by doctors, priests, Imams and other leaders. They also organised peer-education sessions for school children, teachers, prisoners among others.
However, the common believe by some Christians and Muslims in this central African country that HIV and AIDS is "God’s punishment" remains a major challenge to the activists.
"As teachers die and orphans drop out of school, literacy is quickly eroded and poverty bites harder", said an official from FUMI.
WACC's Programme Manager for HIV and AIDS, communication and stigma, Julienne Munyaneza, affirms that WACC is committed to supporting communication strategies and initiatives that contribute to fighting the spread of HIV and AIDS in Africa and around the world. "Every intervention no matter how small makes a big difference in the lives of the infected and affected by the pandemic", she said.
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