Global Campaign on HIV/AIDS Launched in Angola
Global Campaign on HIV/AIDS Launched in Angola LUANDA, 08 DECEMBER 2005 – To mobilize a countrywide attention to the threat of HIV/AIDS, on the 1st of December, the Angolan Government, UNICEF and other social partners launched the Global Campaign “Children and AIDS”, with a massive youth theatre and music festival, which was attended by an estimated 9,000 students, senior members of Government, NGOs, Civil society, UN and Donor community. On the same day, it was launched in Luanda an out of school youth HIV prevention campaign for Angola. “This world initiative is unfolding here in Angola with a series of practical actions,” Mario Ferrari, the Angola UNICEF Representative spoke, referring to the “Unite for Children, Unite against AIDS” global campaign. “The event we are celebrating today, with the participation of such number of adolescents and youngsters from all provinces, shows that Angola is answering to the global appeal with concrete actions of great consequence. The HIV/AIDS Campaign in schools is a big initiative of Primary Prevention acceleration in the country.” The festival, held at the main gymnasium-sports pavilion in Luanda, was a culmination of a nationwide theatre competition about HIV/AIDS that started on 5th September, and has engaged all of the 590,000 secondary school students ages 9-18 all over the country. 1.2 million educational manuals, divided in two themes – (1) Gender and Sexuality and (2) Sexually Transmitted Infections (STIs) and HIV/AIDS – were distributed to students to use and keep, as part of a participatory course composed by reading, writing, reflection and discussion. The three national “top 3” schools were granted prizes of sports, books and games prizes after the performance of their winning theatre skits at the pavilion. The remaining 15 provinces received also participation diplomas and books. “Our country endured almost 30 years of war. Today we have another threat to our lives: AIDS. Dear friends, the salvation is in our hands. Let’s put in practice what we have learned at school about HIV/AIDS,” Valdemar Teixeira, a young 11 years old student from Benguela province told in the closure of the festival.
• The festival was a culmination of a nationwide theatre competition about HIV/AIDS has engaged all of the 590,000 secondary school students ages 9-18 all over the country. The HIV campaign in schools was implemented by the Ministry of Education and UNICEF in partnership with the Ministry of Health, UNAIDS, provincial Governments, NGOs and other actors involved in HIV/AIDS interventions. The main objective was to increase the level of knowledge and awareness among children and youth so that they can make informed choices about their own attitudes and behaviors.“Through many theatre sketches performed by the students, we realized that the campaign provoked a great interaction among the students. This reinforced their self-esteem and their respect for others,” Mario Ferrari went on to say. This is what Anastacia Zenaida, a 13 year old girl from Huambo province, said: “I learned a very impoprtant thing, we should never discriminate against HIV positive people, because when we give them affection and love they can live longer. If we discriminate, they lose the desire to live, their minds get sick and their life expectancy diminish drastically.” The big event in Luanda was not the end of the HIV campaign in schools. Each secondary school has created an HIV/AIDS and Gender Club to make, starting in 2006, a bridge between adolescents, youth and their communities and Government policies and programmes in the area of HIV/AIDS. These clubs are set up to promote the prevention of the HIV virus, to promote awareness and contribute to remove any existing stigmas. ******* For further information please contact:
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