Champ to fight HIV/Aids in schools

WESTERN PROVINCE RUBAVU – Lillian Uwahoze the national coordinator of Community HIV/Aids Mobilization Programme (CHAMP) has said that the project which is under ADEPR Church will do every thing possible to sensitize students in the western province on HIV. Uwahoze said this recently while concluding the western province students’ solidarity camp, which was sponsored by USAID and brought together orphans from districts of Nyabihu, Rubavu, Rutsiro, and Ngororero in Gisenyi town. “CHAMP helps orphans from all districts of the western province by providing school fees, buying them scholastic material and other financial assistance. We organised these six days solidarity camps through the help of USAID to equip students with knowledge of HIV prevention and unity and reconciliation,” Uwahoze said. She added, “Most of these children have a lot in common, most of them are orphans of HIV/Aids, and some still live with their sick and poor parents. That’s why we found it vital to bring them together to educate them on unity and HIV prevention.” Uwahoze said that the solidarity camps which were divided into two sessions with each one bringing together over 300 students was also meant to build hope in them for a better future. She said that after various discussions on HIV prevention and the importance of voluntary HIV testing and counseling, all participants requested for an HIV test which was carried out to let them know their status. In his remarks, the head of ADEPR Church Gisenyi, Pastor Aaron Mucyamura thanked USAID for the support in the realisation of the solidarity camps and called upon students to share the knowledge attained with other students. “You should be exemplary in schools, in your families and society by living as God fearing children, free from any activities that can get you HIV/Aids as well as keeping away from the genocide ideology which led our country into the 1994 tragedy,” he said. Rubavu district education officer, Mpurano Astash thanked the organisers of the event and called upon all student participants to love one another. “Love is the foundation for peace; we should look at our selves as Rwandans with the same background and culture. We should avoid the useless genocide ideologies, prevent ourselves from HIV/AIDS and think big toward the development of our country,” he explained. Emmanuel Nkurunziza, one of the participants said the traininmg will help them live as more responsible Rwandans. “We learnt a lot during these camps. We also carried out a voluntary HIV test. Most of us were reluctant about HIV testing and counseling but this training has helped us know it’s vital due to the fact that it gives the infected people chance to live longer by accessing drugs in time,” he said. CHAMP is a project that works under ADEPR Church. CHAMP’s Prevention/ Behavior Change Communication (BCC) programme focused on a variety of promotion activities including prevention of mother-to-child transmission of HIV (PMTCT), voluntary counseling and testing for HIV (VCT), abstinence, being faithful, and condom use. Ends