According to the (UNAIDS Report in 2014) there were 35 million people living with HIV/AID’s worldwide, of which 24.7 million were living in sub Saharan Africa, making the region hardest hit by the epidemic (UNAID’s 2014). Ten countries (Ethiopia, Kenya, Nigeria, South Africa, Uganda, the republic of Tanzania, Zambia and Zimbabwe) account for 81% of all people living with HIV in the sub Saharan region. More than 75% of all estimated HIV incident tuberculosis cases live in just 10 countries, nine of them in sub Saharan Africa.
Kabarole district has a population of 474,216 people with an annual growth rate of 2.3%. Of the total district population, 236,056 (50.2) are females. More than half (56%) of the population in the district is below 18 years of age (UBOS, 2012b). The majority of the population residing in the district are Batooro and speak the local language of Rutooro which is similar to that spoken in the neighboring districts.
It should be noted that in the whole of western Uganda, its Kabarole district leading with the highest prevalence rate of HIV/AID’s of 15.3 (Kabarole district health report 2015). The most affected people are both youth and adults between (14- 70 years of age) and this has caused the district to be leading with the highest number of orphans and other vulnerable children (OVC’s) in the district.
Therefore HUVUCSO as an OVC organization has proposed the following initiatives to reduce on the spread of the scourge of HIV/AID’s in the district.
CAPACITY BUILDING
HUVUCSO facilitates and engage in capacity building of our partners & opinion leaders such as teachers, parents, cultural and local council leaders to include; voluntary testing, stigmatization, prevention, treatment, care and create awareness on HIV/AID’s in their working environments.
ADVOCACY
-HUVUCSO Advocates for having counseling and guidance services in every school and community to always counsel children in schools and adults to always go for voluntary HIV/AID’s testing, take their ARV’s.
-HUVUCSO facilitates the Formation of good peer groups among the youth in villages whose main objective is to always share information on HIV/AID’s prevention and finding possible activities they could do to occupy their minds.
– HUVUCSO facilitates and engages with Local council chairpersons to have by laws in their zones/wards, which require meeting the youth at every end of the month on HIV/AID’s prevention in their localities.
CHILDREN
HUVUCSO supports children with disabilities, orphans and other vulnerable children through providing scholastic materials, to support their education, clothing’s and income generating projects in their homesteads.
AWARENESS CREATION
HUVUCSO organizes and conduct awareness rising campaigns on HIV/AID’s prevention through the following methodologies;
-Implementing the 90, 90, and 90’s
-Encouraging trust worthy among the couples
-Drama shows with a message on HIV/AID’s prevention
-Group focused discussions in schools and around the communities and etc.
Beneficiary Level: Awareness at beneficiary level improves access to services. Using media familiar to them, HUVUCSO reaches people using the language they understand.
INFORMATION COLLECTION AND DISSEMINATION
HUVUCSO collects and disseminates information to its beneficiaries within and outside the district. The disseminated information is in line with the HUVUCSO strategic plan and her programs such as HIV/AID’s prevention, Child Protection, Gender Based Violence (GBV), Environmental Conservation and Feminism.
HUVUCSO works with Kabarole District Local Government through the office of the District Health Officer (DHO) and the District Health Educator (DHE) to fight the spread of the scourge of HIV/AID’s in Kabarole District, by implementing activities that lessens the spread of HIV/AID’s and other Sexual Transmitted Diseases (STI’s) and this is done through jointly holding radio programs, HIV/AID’s testing, Counseling and Guidance, Care, Treatment and many other activities under Health System Strengthening (HSS) whose intention is to create awareness, prevention and to achieve the aims and objectives of our organization strategic plan, helping the district to achieve its strategic plan 2015-2020 and the National HIV/AID’s strategic plan 2030.
We work with the Village Health Team (VHT’s) at the grass root level, as a mobilization tool for the organization in the rural areas of Kabarole district. The VHT’s helps us to mobilize our intended beneficiaries at the grass root level, share and distribute information to them.
PHOTOS SHOWING THE IMPACTS OF HIV/AID’S IN KARAMBI SUB COUNTY ONE OF THE SUB COUNTIES HIT BY HIV/AID’S IN KABAROLE DISTRICT.
Some of our beneficiaries Living with HIV/AID’s & taking ARV’s.
Mr. Kyaligonza Patrick, who at first rejected to take ARV’s, thinking that he, was bewitched.
Mr. Kyaligonza and his family are positively living with HIV/AID’s in Karambi sub county of Kabarole District
