To Commemorate the World Aids Day 2018 with the theme : “Know Your Status”, private organization in partnership with some Civil Society Groups have launched a 2 week National advocacy campaign on HIV/AIDS.
The advocacy campaign which is organized by the Red-Ribbon Coalition, Youth Empowerment Foundation (YEF), Society for Family Health (SFH), Development Communications Network and convened by Coca-Cola Nigeria will target multiple communities across eight high- risk States in Nigeria.
The 2-week long voluntary counselling and testing session which begins on Friday, 30 November, 2018 will end on Saturday,15th December, 2018.
According to a release jointly signed by Iwalola Akin-Jimoh and Emeka Mba from Youth Empowerment Foundation, Coca-Cola said the advocacy program which was Inaugurated in 2015, “the past projects have brought together leading stars in Nigeria’s football, music, comedy and movie industry to work together as advocates for the fight against HIV.”
The release added that “this year’s advocacy campaign targets multiple communities across Eight high-risk States in Nigeria through a .combination of activities which includes media awareness, voluntary counselling and testing, public education and awareness sessions and entertainment using drama and football. The target for this year is to reach over thirty thousand people across 8 sites (Lagos, Oyo, FCT Abuja, Imo, Akwa Ibom, Anambra, Gombe and Kano).”
To end the two weeks advocating campaign would be a novelty match which would hold on) Saturday, 08 December, 2018 @ Araromi mini stadium Gbagada.
The WORLD AIDS Day is a day globally set aside to provide an opportunity for people to unite in the fight against HIV, show support for people living with HIV, and to commemorate those who have died from an AIDS-related illness. The number of people estimated to be receiving Antiretroviral Therapy (ART) was 747,382 with 3.0 million adult populations estimated to be living with the disease as of 2014. Albeit due to its population size, Nigeria has the second largest HIV disease burden in the world, with 3.2 million people living with HIV, after South Africa which has 6.8 million burden of the disease though prevalence is stable at 3.4% (Federal Ministry of Health, 2013, Nigeria National Agency for the Control of AIDS, 2012, United States Agency International Development, 2013).
Share this
