Ministry of Health trains local leaders in HIV prevention

More than 60 local leaders from the Western Provinvce, last week, completed training in HIV Prevention, facilitated by The Ministry of Health (MoH). The two-day workshop that was held at Ubumwe Hotel in Rubavu was attended by councillors from seven districts in the province. “We pass on prevention methods to the leaders particularly focusing on prevention of mother to child transmission, condom use, dual protection and family planning,” said Nathan Mugume, the officer in charge of communication at MoH’s Health Communication Centre. Mugume noted that the programme, is part of a nationwide campaign, that started with the Northern and Southern provinces and will, this week, go the East. The programme is targeting 280 local leaders in the country. “This exercise is annual and it’s done in partnership with the Global Fund with an aim of sensitising various target audiences in behaviour change to reduce HIV prevalence,” added Mugume. The Health Communication Centre under the ministry also does capacity building for journalists, local leaders, teachers among other professionals. “When we monitor and evaluate our past work, we see results since the leaders go back to the grassroots and teach locals on how to avoid infection.” The training imparts skills and knowledge that the authorities use to sensitise the Rwandan people about population growth and its impact in regards to the social, economic and political aspects. Mugume acknowledged the Global Fund for supporting the various projects in the Ministry. Ends