WESTERN PROVINCE

RUBAVU — The United Nations Programme on HIV/Aids (UNAIDS) has reaffirmed its commitment to sustain the campaign to fight HIV / Aids in Rwanda.

Dieudonné Ruturwa, Rwanda’s social mobilisation adviser, disclosed this recently during a HIV awareness campaign in Rubavu district.

During the campaign, hundreds of youth under anti Aids clubs and former sex workers in the area took to the street to raise their voice against HIV and other sexually transmitted diseases.

"UNAIDS will continue supporting HIV prevention campaigns in not only Rubavu but also other parts of the country because we need to increase awareness among the youth and sex workers. Protecting sex workers from HIV benefits them and has a large impact on HIV prevention among the general population,” explained Ruturwa.

He added that for effective HIV prevention among sex workers, correct use of condoms should be promoted by availing affordable quality male and female condoms. 

In their intervention, he said, UNAIDS would continue supporting anti-Aids clubs around the country to ensure youth and sex worker’s access to comprehensive health care and treatment.

This includes; access to HIV counseling and testing services and access to antiretroviral therapy for those who test HIV positive.

He noted that the risk of infection is highest where sex workers are most powerless and therefore unable to negotiate or insist on the use of condoms by their clients.

Ascia Narame of the Mission of Hope Rwanda observed that HIV/AIDS was one of the hindrances to development among many Rwandan households. 

Narame advised residents to go for voluntary HIV counseling and testing in order to know their health status. 

"Those who are HIV positive should not lose heart. They can still live longer if they protected themselves from further transmission by avoiding unprotected sex as well as proper use of retroviral diseases,” she said.

Zaneza Emerita, the leader of former sex worker’s association in Rubavu attributed the number of sex workers in the area to many tourists and business men from the neighboring DRC town of Goma. He appealed for more sensitization campaigns to remove girls off the street.

Zaneza heads two associations of former sex workers including, ARCFL (association Rwandaise de cadrement des femmes Libres) made up of 184 former sex workers and association Abahindutse comprising of 122 members.
 
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