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Journalists fight AIDS
- By News Hound
- Published 06/20/2007
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View all articles by News HoundNigeria: Journalists fight AIDS
By DAVID MOLOMO
A Yola-based non-governmental organization, Media Vanguard Against AIDS (MEVAA), has advocated baseline survey to ascertain the authenticity of the decrease or prevalence of the Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS) in Nigeria.
The organisation made the call against the backdrop of various submissions made by government agencies and NGOs that the impact of the increased sensitisation, enlightenment and education has drastically reduced the prevalence of the disease.
The project manager of MEVAA, Mr.Solomon Kumangar, said though empirical proofs are valid, there was need to embark on baseline survey to authenticate whatever claims submitted by laymen and women.
While affirming that the awareness campaign for HIV/AIDS has picked up in Nigeria, Kumangar observed that the advocacy enlightenment and sensitization were mostly urban-based, instead of extending same to the rural areas of the country.
He maintained that a larger population of Nigerians reside in the rural areas and, therefore, questioned the authenticity of the reduction in the prevalence of HIV/AIDS in Nigeria.
While he affirmed that there is a remarkable increase in the leadership commitment and improvement in the political will to tackle the dreaded disease headlong, MEVAA observed that the said advocacy and enlightenment were not rural based.
“Established there is appreciable improvement on the part of government towards supporting the fight against the dreaded disease that has claimed a great number of youths in both rural and urban settlements, impact is low in our rural areas”, he said.
The MEVAA project manager, who lauded the efforts so far made by other non-governmental organizations across the country, charged such NGOs to be humane, people-centred and show high level of commitment in the fight against the dreaded disease that has defied medical cure.
“Only NGOs that have passion for the vulnerable sections of the society, the youths in the rural areas in our secondary schools, in small settlements that can continue without relenting in fighting the dreaded disease”, he said.
According to him, a good number of NGOs have initiated programmes, sensitized Nigerians and educated them on issues of HIV/AIDS, but maintained that there was need to intensify efforts on that direction.
Kumangar advocated more NGOs joining the fight against the dreaded disease out of patriotism and love for youths who meet their untimely death via HIV/AIDS.
Said he: “Knowledge about HIV/AIDS contract and control should be intensified across Nigeria; especially in the rural areas. If the urban settlers are scarcely informed about the dreaded disease, it is better imagined the low level of sensitization and education in that direction.
“We anticipate a reduction in the prevalence of the disease as a result of change in behaviour, attitude and practices that have put individuals at risk everyday of our lives. There should be adequate enlightenment that HIV/AIDS is not only contracted through sexual intercourse alone but through other practices and people should be aware and avoid them”
While the advocates should emphasize on the contract of HIV/AIDS in sexual relation, the rural populace should be aware that unsterilised sharp objects, blood transfusion and the like are also sources of contract, adding that the NGOs in the rural areas should show serious concern and enelighten the people on their danger”.
He remarked that the sum total of these will result in reducing the prevalence of the disease in the rural areas.
He, however, re-emphasized that the baseline survey would unravel the controversy about Nigerians who express the view that the survey method and data process about HIV/AIDS are faulty and certain cases must have gone unnoticed.
Appraising various channels employed by government to fight the disease, the project manager rated Local Action Committee Against AIDS, (LACA) low in view of lack of political and moral will at local government level.
The local government chief executives he said, should borrow a leaf from the State Action Committee on AIDS, (SACA) and domesticate the same “ideal” and approach at the local council level.
While viewing the need for the local councils to join the fight on the backdrop of their proximity to the rural populace, Kumangar said they should also have it at the back of their minds that larger percentage of Nigerians residing in the rural areas were yet to be enlightened on the pandemic.
He, however, charged both the National Action Committee on AIDS (NACA) and its state counterpart, state Action Committee On AIDS, SACA, to look inward on how best to reach out to the governmental level.
While Kumangar lauded the efforts of NACA and SACA in the fight against AIDS, the two agencies at the national and state levels he said they should generate more ideas and innovations in terms of advocacy, enlightenment and education of the rural populace.
He stressed that ideas generated in the past gave birth to the establishment of government agencies, like NACA and SACA, while NGOs soon joined in the fight to complement government and international donor agencies in the fight against the dreaded disease.
The project manager, who said MEVAA was designed to enlist journalists, as foot soldiers in the anti HIV/AIDS campaign, explained that with the financial support of SACA, the vanguard had conducted workshop for 200 journalists on reporting HIV/AIDS issues in the media as well as a workshop on reporting voluntary counseling and testing NGO.
Mr. Kumangar also disclosed that the MEVAA had concluded plans to conduct a road show where a mobile theatre drama and dance group will be enlisted to carry the message of HIV/AIDS to five major towns and local government headquarters in Adamawa State.
“We have concluded arrangements to conduct a first ever media road show which will involve drama and cultural performances in five major towns of Adamawa State as part of the move to penetrate the rural areas with the message”, he said.
http://www.sunnewsonline.com/webpages/features/citysun/2007/june/20/citysun-20-06-2007-003.htm
A Yola-based non-governmental organization, Media Vanguard Against AIDS (MEVAA), has advocated baseline survey to ascertain the authenticity of the decrease or prevalence of the Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS) in Nigeria.
The organisation made the call against the backdrop of various submissions made by government agencies and NGOs that the impact of the increased sensitisation, enlightenment and education has drastically reduced the prevalence of the disease.
The project manager of MEVAA, Mr.Solomon Kumangar, said though empirical proofs are valid, there was need to embark on baseline survey to authenticate whatever claims submitted by laymen and women.
While affirming that the awareness campaign for HIV/AIDS has picked up in Nigeria, Kumangar observed that the advocacy enlightenment and sensitization were mostly urban-based, instead of extending same to the rural areas of the country.
He maintained that a larger population of Nigerians reside in the rural areas and, therefore, questioned the authenticity of the reduction in the prevalence of HIV/AIDS in Nigeria.
While he affirmed that there is a remarkable increase in the leadership commitment and improvement in the political will to tackle the dreaded disease headlong, MEVAA observed that the said advocacy and enlightenment were not rural based.
“Established there is appreciable improvement on the part of government towards supporting the fight against the dreaded disease that has claimed a great number of youths in both rural and urban settlements, impact is low in our rural areas”, he said.
The MEVAA project manager, who lauded the efforts so far made by other non-governmental organizations across the country, charged such NGOs to be humane, people-centred and show high level of commitment in the fight against the dreaded disease that has defied medical cure.
“Only NGOs that have passion for the vulnerable sections of the society, the youths in the rural areas in our secondary schools, in small settlements that can continue without relenting in fighting the dreaded disease”, he said.
According to him, a good number of NGOs have initiated programmes, sensitized Nigerians and educated them on issues of HIV/AIDS, but maintained that there was need to intensify efforts on that direction.
Kumangar advocated more NGOs joining the fight against the dreaded disease out of patriotism and love for youths who meet their untimely death via HIV/AIDS.
Said he: “Knowledge about HIV/AIDS contract and control should be intensified across Nigeria; especially in the rural areas. If the urban settlers are scarcely informed about the dreaded disease, it is better imagined the low level of sensitization and education in that direction.
“We anticipate a reduction in the prevalence of the disease as a result of change in behaviour, attitude and practices that have put individuals at risk everyday of our lives. There should be adequate enlightenment that HIV/AIDS is not only contracted through sexual intercourse alone but through other practices and people should be aware and avoid them”
While the advocates should emphasize on the contract of HIV/AIDS in sexual relation, the rural populace should be aware that unsterilised sharp objects, blood transfusion and the like are also sources of contract, adding that the NGOs in the rural areas should show serious concern and enelighten the people on their danger”.
He remarked that the sum total of these will result in reducing the prevalence of the disease in the rural areas.
He, however, re-emphasized that the baseline survey would unravel the controversy about Nigerians who express the view that the survey method and data process about HIV/AIDS are faulty and certain cases must have gone unnoticed.
Appraising various channels employed by government to fight the disease, the project manager rated Local Action Committee Against AIDS, (LACA) low in view of lack of political and moral will at local government level.
The local government chief executives he said, should borrow a leaf from the State Action Committee on AIDS, (SACA) and domesticate the same “ideal” and approach at the local council level.
While viewing the need for the local councils to join the fight on the backdrop of their proximity to the rural populace, Kumangar said they should also have it at the back of their minds that larger percentage of Nigerians residing in the rural areas were yet to be enlightened on the pandemic.
He, however, charged both the National Action Committee on AIDS (NACA) and its state counterpart, state Action Committee On AIDS, SACA, to look inward on how best to reach out to the governmental level.
While Kumangar lauded the efforts of NACA and SACA in the fight against AIDS, the two agencies at the national and state levels he said they should generate more ideas and innovations in terms of advocacy, enlightenment and education of the rural populace.
He stressed that ideas generated in the past gave birth to the establishment of government agencies, like NACA and SACA, while NGOs soon joined in the fight to complement government and international donor agencies in the fight against the dreaded disease.
The project manager, who said MEVAA was designed to enlist journalists, as foot soldiers in the anti HIV/AIDS campaign, explained that with the financial support of SACA, the vanguard had conducted workshop for 200 journalists on reporting HIV/AIDS issues in the media as well as a workshop on reporting voluntary counseling and testing NGO.
Mr. Kumangar also disclosed that the MEVAA had concluded plans to conduct a road show where a mobile theatre drama and dance group will be enlisted to carry the message of HIV/AIDS to five major towns and local government headquarters in Adamawa State.
“We have concluded arrangements to conduct a first ever media road show which will involve drama and cultural performances in five major towns of Adamawa State as part of the move to penetrate the rural areas with the message”, he said.
http://www.sunnewsonline.com/webpages/features/citysun/2007/june/20/citysun-20-06-2007-003.htm
