6th December, 2011
AMREF @ ICASA Day 2
Africa could have an HIV-free generation if prevention of mother-to-child transmission (PMTCT) services are made universally accessible and if further prevention measures, such as condom use and promotion of abstinence, are taken to avoid infection among young people.
The first ladies of Africa, under the auspices of the Organisation of African First Ladies against HIV and AIDS (OAFLA), have vowed to take a lead in pushing for an HIV-free generation individually in their respective countries, and jointly across the continent.
“Having realised the powers vested in them and the crucial role they can play in the fight against HIV, first ladies have decided to create their own national action plans, which are aligned to the national priorities of their countries,” said Mrs Penehupifo Pohamba, First Lady of Namibia and President of OAFLA.
Click on the image below to view a slideshow on the ICASA conference
(L to R) Representatives of the first ladies of Chad, Rwanda and Ethiopia, and on the far right is Mrs Penehupifo Pohamba, first lady of Namibia
Mrs Phohamba made the remarks during a first ladies’ panel discussion at the ongoing International Conference on AIDS and STIs in Africa (ICASA 2011) in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. She outlined activities in Namibia that have yielded returns in reducing HIV infections, key among them male involvement in PMTCT and exclusive breastfeeding. “Male partners are very important for outcomes of health in the family. It is important to involve them not just at the testing stage for HIV, but at all stages of the continuum of care,” she stressed. The First Lady said that Namibia’s efforts had resulted in 97 percent of babies born to HIV-positive women being free of the virus.
Representatives of the first ladies of Chad, Rwanda and Ethiopia highlighted activities in their countries that have resulted from their advocacy for effective solutions to respond to HIV and AIDS, as well as against stigma and discrimination.
Rwandan Minister for Health Dr Agnes Binagwaho, representing First Lady Jeannette Kagame who could not make it to the meeting due to a flight delay, said that Rwanda’s national PMTCT scale-up plan had so far resulted in 82 percent of the country’s 450 health facilities providing full PMTCT packages to women. PMTCT has also been integrated in child health programmes. As a result, 70 percent of children born to HIV-positive women have received early diagnosis.
“Rwanda is hopeful of eliminating HIV because we know how to do it, we have the drugs and we have the facilities. But we also need to identify strong prevention strategies and find ways to reduce stigma. To do this, we must re-evaluate those of our social and cultural practices that slow down or hinder response to HIV and AIDS initiatives,” she said.
Speaking on behalf of Ethiopian First Lady Azeb Mesfin, Ms Netsanet Asfaw, Director of the Peace and Security Division of the Inter-Governmental Authority for Development, said that the women of Ethiopia have been tackling the challenges of HIV and AIDS in a holistic manner through a vast network of government officials, professionals, civil society, farmers and pastoralists under the umbrella of the National Coalition of Women against HIV and AIDS.
One of the coalition’s activities is a campaign named ‘ No woman should die giving birth’ which was rolled out through Community Health Extension Workers, who are found in every village in the vast country. The campaign, according to the health ministry, was to be the start of a long-term mobilisation initiative extending to 2015 in line with the Millennium Development Goals.
It aims to raise public awareness and facilitate dialogue on the importance of improving maternal health in order to reduce the deaths of women and children.
“Ethiopia’s Afar region is also the first in the world to declare female genital mutilation ‘haram’ (forbidden in Islam),” said Ms Asfaw. This was a very significant move, she explained, because the Afar region is where female genital mutilation was practised in its severest form. The success was the result of a three-year campaign by the National Coalition of Women, led by First Lady Azeb Mesfin, and it had brought together religious and community leaders, traditional birth attendants and victims into dialogue that resulted in the historic declaration.
Mrs Phohamba noted that despite the successes, there is still a lot more that the first ladies can do to ensure that the goal of an HIV-free generation is achieved.
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