World AIDs Day: Group partners UNFPA, AHF to test 191 youths

Stories by Adeola Tukuru

Abuja

 

Brothers Across Nigeria (BAN), Kubwa chapter, a non-governmental organisation (NGO) in partnership with AIDS Health Care Foundation (AHF), United Nations Population Funds (UNFPA) and Soul Lounge Event and Club Centre recently reached out to over 191 youths with HIV awareness campaign including Voluntary Confidential HIV Counselling and Testing in Kubwa, Abuja.

The President of BAN, Mr Olamide TonyJohnson explained that it was put together as part of 2017 World AIDS Commemoration and is aimed at providing a platform for people to get sensitized and get tested for HIV which remains the gateway to HIV Prevention, Care and Treatment.

According to him, the theme for this year’s World AIDS Day is; ‘Right to Health: Making it Happen’ is apt as every individual has the right to good health, but it is up to individuals to ensure they do the right thing to get good health.

According to him, “that is why we took HIV services closer to people to give them the opportunity to get tested”.

Mr Tony Johnson went on to thank all the organisations who partnered with BAN to make the event possible, adding that they should learn to leverage on others area of strength to achieve success.

He explained that Soul Lounge Event and Club Centre located in Kubwa provided the platform where the event happened, adding that AHF provided the

HIV testing services during the event while UNFPA provided some of the prevention tools that were given out during the event and BAN facilitated the entire partnership that led to the testing of 191 young persons during the event, he concluded.

Also,the State Coordinator of AHF, Dr Kema Onu, in his word at the event said AHF is happy to partner with BAN and other organization involved in the making the event possible.

AHF he said is always ready to go anywhere around Nigeria to provide HIV/AIDS services, he urges the Federal Government and every stakeholder in the national response to brace up and intensify efforts to ensure every Nigerian know their HIV status and more importantly every HIV positive Nigerians have access to Anti-Retroviral Drugs.

Also, the State Nursing Coordinator, AIDs Healthcare Foundation (AHF), Christie Awunor, explained that the prevalence of HIV in Nigeria stands at 3.1million persons and 1 out of 3 persons with HIV/AIDS is treated, which is seemingly very low.

According to her, “We can do better than this as a country because more affected persons are not on treatment care in Nigeria and as they are left out there, the more the disease continues to spread”.

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