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World Aids Day
Namibia Red Cross Society joined the rest of the world in
commemorating World Aids Day (WAD) 2008 on Monday, the 1st
of December 2008.
On
December 1st, individuals and organizations around the world
come together to raise awareness about HIV/AIDS and
demonstrate international solidarity in the face of the
pandemic.
In
Namibia, the colourful event was held at Mokuti Stadium in
Otjiwarongo and was coordinated by the Ministry of Health
and Social Services (MoHSS) in collaboration with other
government entities, development partners and civil society
organizations under the theme Leadership for Prevention,
zero tolerance for new infections among the youth.
Leadership
was selected as the theme for the World Aids Day to
encourage leaders at all levels to stop AIDS. Building on
the 2006 theme of accountability, leadership highlights the
discrepancy between the commitments that have been made to
halt the spread of AIDS and actions taken to follow them
through. The theme empowers everyone from individuals to
organizations to governments to lead in the response to
AIDS.
Commemorating the 2008 WAD in the Otjozondjupa region was
meant to be a motivation for our political, traditional and
church leaders to actively get them involved in the fight
against HIV/AIDS and to aggressively strengthen the national
and targeted campaigns on HIV prevention. Many traditional
leaders and councilors, health workers, school children and
community members from all corners of the Otjozondjupa
attended WAD in Otjiwarongo from as early as 7 am to 6 pm.
HIV/AIDS
remains Namibias greatest development and health challenge.
Politicians, religious leaders, traditional leaders,
business leaders, councilors, teachers, parents and
individuals are called upon not only to join, but to lead
our fight against HIV/AIDS.
This was
the message from President Hifikepunye Pohamba, to the
Namibian nation on the World Aids Day. His Excellency
President was due to deliver the nations keynote address at
the event but could not attend due to other commitments.
Minister of Health and Social Services Dr Richard Nchabi
Kamwi delivered the speech and accepted the present on his
behalf.
President
Pohamba highlighted that it has been 25 years since Namibia
first learned of HIV/AIDS. He said that many people are
infected and models estimate that there are about 40 new HIV
infections every day in Namibia.
Namibia
has made major advances in the scaling up of treatment for
HIV. Namibia is known for its treatment coverage leading on
the African continent. We are proud of this accomplishment,
the President encouraged.
He also
emphasized that HIV prevention efforts must now catch up
with impressive roll out of HIV treatment services. Hence
preventing HIV from spreading further among communities
continues to pose a major challenge to all Namibians.
HIV and
AIDS confront the world with many challenges. Humanitarian
organisations have worked hard to meet them and to make up
for a lack of action in the first s of epidemic. But far,
far more needs to be done, in partnership with governments
but also, above all, with communities whose wisdom and
resilience offer so much to the HIV response. National Red
Cross and Red Crescent Societies around the world have come
together in a Global Alliance on HIV with the aim to do much
more and much better in collective Endeavour against this
epidemic. This commitment to scale-up is linked to specific
and measurable targets to double, by 2010, the magnitude of
HIV programming in prevention, treatment, care and support,
and in tackling stigma and discrimination.
For
Otjozondjupa, the WAD commemoration and HIV/AIDS awareness
campaigns was a success. After the speeches, members of the
public were taken to various HIV/AIDS sites where
information leaflets to the prevention on HIV/AIDS were
handed out to the public. Testing was also one of the
activities done at the event. Back at the main event, the
entertainment continued with live music performances by
well-known and popular artists such as The Dogg, D-Naff and
Tequilla among the others which went on until 18h00. |
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