By Ijeoma Ukazu –
To mark 2018 World AIDS Day, (WAD), the Red Ribbon Coalition, an alliance of strategic NGOs and private sector partners in Nigeria, has embarked on a two week nationwide advocacy campaign to reach over 30 thousand Nigerians on HIV counseling and testing.
Addressing journalists in Lagos during a briefing to commemorate WAD, the Regional Manager, Society for Family Health, (SFH), Lagos Mrs Funke Adewoyin said, “this is a National advocacy campaign on HIV/AIDS, targeting multiple communities across eight high- risk States in Nigeria kicked off on the 30th of November 2018 as part of the World AIDS Day commemoration with the theme “Know Your Status”.
Adewoyin revealed that the target for this year is to reach over thirty thousand people across eight high-risk States which includes; Lagos, Oyo, FCT Abuja, Imo, Akwa Ibom, Anambra, Gombe, and Kano.
She said activities to mark the day includes the target of multiple communities across the eight States through a combination of activities like; media awareness, voluntary counselling and testing, public education and awareness sessions and entertainment using drama and football.
She pointed out that HIV infection has spread over the last 32 years in Africa since it was first discovered and has continued to have a great impact on health, welfare, and employment, affecting all social and ethnic groups throughout the world.
“It is estimated that about 3, 229,757 people living with HIV in Nigeria and about 220,393 new HIV infections occurred in 2013 and 210,031 died from AIDS-related cases.
“HIV prevalence among adults in Nigeria is relatively low 3.2 percent yet Nigeria is an enormous country where HIV infection remains an issue that demands a systematic and highly tailored intervention,” Adewoyin said.
A member of the coalition, Mrs Iwalola Akin-Jimoh, Executive Secretary of Youth Empowerment Foundation, (YEF) explained that 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.
She said 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, Iwalola said, according to the National HIV/AIDS Reproductive Health Survey 2012 PLUS II, 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 percent.
She added that the Red Ribbon Coalition was convened to bring different levels of organisation together, NGOs, business concerns and the private sector in order to pull resources together so as to encourage people to go out for HIV counseling and testing.
The flag off of the campaign took place at Aboki Estate Ajah on Saturday, 1st of December 2018 at 11 am, with SFH deployed counsellor testers to conduct HIV counselling and testing.
It will be a two-week long voluntary counselling and testing session which begins on Friday, 30 November 2018 and ends on Saturday,15th December 2018. A Novelty Match to close out the events on Saturday, 08 December 2018 at Araromi mini stadium Gbagada.
The advocacy campaign 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. 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.
Share this
