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Summary: World Vision Rwanda is undertaking an anti-HIV/AIDS campaign in the schools of Rebero district, in northern Rwanda, in order to increase knowledge and change in behaviour among school pupils and teachers regarding HIV/AIDS.
World Vision Rwanda is undertaking an anti-HIV/AIDS campaign in the schools of Rebero district, in northern Rwanda, in order to increase knowledge and change in behaviour among school pupils and teachers regarding HIV/AIDS. Working through the district's Area Development Programmes (ADPs), World Vision Rwanda started to incorporate HIV/AIDS prevention, care and advocacy activities in 2003. Through songs, drama and poems, the initiative has recently attracted twelve primary schools into interschool competitions held at the Rebero Primary School grounds, where over 200 pupils who participated received school bags, washing basins, balls, T-shirts and scholastic materials. Through their songs and drama, pupils informed the crowd of pupils, teachers, local leaders, parents and other community members, that HIV/AIDS is still a major problem disturbing the Rwandan society. One 12 year old, from Nyinawimana Primary School noted that the best way his schoolmates could learn about HIV/AIDS was to join anti-AIDS clubs in their respective schools. Another student said, they learned about the HIV/AIDS problem at school. “Our teacher taught us that HIV/AIDS patients, at one point develop wounds, skin rashes, and constant coughing. The disease continuously weakens people to death.” And a teacher at Gihuke Primary School asserted that pupils were a better group to inform on the dangers of HIV/AIDS. “At school, pupils study the human reproductive system, [which is an] easy conveyance of the anti-AIDS message to them,” she observed, saying that it would help for students to also watch a film of HIV/AIDS patients so as to gain some practical understanding. Jean Batiste Habineza, assistant head of HIV/AIDS programming at the World Vision Rebero ADP declared, “We are determined to curb HIV/AIDS in the schools of Rebero district.” He further elaborated that through voluntary testing, World Vision is able to provide basic assistance to the needy, a move that gives courage in the fight against the disease from the grassroots level. “Due to voluntary testing, training and sensitisation for residents about HIV/AIDS, we have managed to identify over a hundred and fifty HIV/AIDS patients with about fifty-six in emergency conditions,” Habineza said. “If every community member agrees to go for voluntary testing, it would be easier for World Vision and other anti-HIV/AIDS activists in Rebero district to deliver messages on how to handle AIDS patients, and reduce the incidence of stigma to people living with HIV/AIDS,” he added. Celestine Kabengera, acting coordinator of World Vision’s Rebero ADP urged the community members to show love to people living with HIV/AIDS and take lead in the anti-AIDS campaign. “Local leaders, students and parents are the right citizens to take a lead in anti-AIDS campaign and hence I advise you to use effectively utilise the opportunity provided by World Vision and benefit from its campaign against HIV/AIDS in Rebero district.” World Vision Rwanda’s response to this global pandemic has an objective of ensuring through all its initiatives, reduction of HIV infection and mitigation of the health and socio-economic impacts of HIV/AIDS at individual, household, and community levels. These initiatives support orphans and other vulnerable children affected/infected with HIV/AIDS to respond to the crisis. Emphasis is placed on strengthening prevention, care and advocacy for orphans and vulnerable children (OVC). Prevention is targeted at halting and reversing the spread of HIV in the communities. The prevention efforts are concentrated on children 5-15 years old through community mobilisation, education on HIV/AIDS prevention and testing.