WESTERN PROVINCE

KARONGI — Owing to the nature of their work, police cops need to be exposed to more HIV awareness to save them from catching Aids.

These were the remarks at a one-week HIV/Aids prevention workshop organized for police and local defence personnel recently in Karongi district. The workshop held at Hotel Golf, was organized by ADRA Rwanda under a project called ‘Uniformed Personnel and Prisoners Project’ whose aim is to combat HIV/AIDS infections among security officers.

"The police are people who are ever transferred from one place to another therefore leaving separately from their wives. For the local defence they leave their homes for night watching, so they are prone to temptations that can lead to HIV/AIDS infections," said Geoffrey S.K Ngiruwonsanga the Programme Manager.

The workshop attracted 27 police officers and 50 local defence personnel drawn from all the 13 sectors of Karongi district.

The theme of the training was ‘Empowering peer leaders of the police and local defence to teach their juniors about fighting HIV/Aids’ During the training being faithful to ones partner was emphasized and use of condoms to prevent HIV/Aids.

The trainees were as well taught communication skills and how to organize the rural residents to form Anti-AIDS Clubs. They also learnt challenges of HIV/Aids infected staff within the police.

Through discussions it emerged that some people especially students are still ignorant of the disease while some hold a lot of myth about it, the reason they fail to help their infected counterparts.

"People still mistake Aids as a disease for prostitutes or a disease that is spread through blood transfusion alone," said Dr Wilson Rubanzana the assistant commissioner of police. He added this has increased HIV/AIDS in the police force and as well has created less security for their infected colleagues.

The police commander advised his juniors to take the training as an advantage. "We have formerly had MAP and CNLS as partners in fighting Aids in the police force so we should as well welcome ADRA and work closely with them," said Dr. Rubanzana.

He cautioned the participants against stigmatizing their infected colleagues, saying anybody was capable of contracting the disease. Meanwhile, the participants were awarded certificates.

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