Africa-Press – Botswana. To effectively reach out to the youth and connect with their vibrancy and improve HIV/AIDS prevention measures among them, several HIV/AIDS programmes need to be revamped.
This was said by the Let Youth Lead Advocate and HIV/AIDS activist from Sentebale, Ms Sekgabo Seselamarumo, during the Health Pitso event on October 23 in Gaborone themed, ‘Reaching the Last Mile and Sustaining the Gains of AIDS Response in Botswana’. She said while the nation had made progress through the years in terms of HIV/AIDS prevention, treatment and other related issues, there were still some gaps that needed to be addressed in order to successfully mobilize the youth in the fight and prevention of HIV/AIDS.
“Some of the youth are affected and infected, but some of the HIV/AIDS programmes that have been put in place do not meet their expectations. As a result, they hardly make full use of them, hence the need for restructuring,” she stated. Ms Seselamarumo said redesigning some of the programmes will resonate well with the youth’s culture, aspirations, language and lifestyle choices and this will ensure maximum effectiveness in reaching and engaging them. Additionally, she said this would create possibilities for the creation of comprehensive and age-appropriate instructional materials, harnessing the vibrancy of the youth, empowering them to be agents of change.
“There is also a need to incorporate some of the youth in decision-making processes particularly those designated for the youth. We are the ones who will ultimately implement the policies. It would be a good idea to involve us in the entire process instead of being engaged at the implementation stage,” she said.
She said the idea would accord the youth a platform to voice out their concerns and also come up with viable ideas that would tailor messages and materials that are relatable, engaging and appealing to the youth. The need for long-lasting HIV/AIDS programmes was emphasized once more by Ms Seselamarumo.
She noted that while some programmes were appropriate in addressing youth concerns about HIV/AIDS, they were only in place for a limited time, leaving those who have been participating in the programmes in the lurch.
The objective of the health Pitso was to bring together stakeholders and discuss the results of the projects carried out by the National AIDS and Health Promotion Agency (NAHPA) and the Ministry of Health with assistance from the joint UN programme on HIV/AIDS in order to speed up the HIV response in Botswana and cover the last mile.
Additionally, it was designed to exchange, validate, and distribute the results of initiatives and assessments that NAHPA and the Ministry of Health had carried out with UNAIDS’ assistance.
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