HIV/Aids Awareness

" ...Harriet squeezes my hand and I can almost feel her anxious heart beating. I have spent the last hour trying to distract the girls with chapatti's and bananas as we wait in dreaded anticipation for their HIV test results. Most of the girls wear a brave face, but Harriet confides in me immediately. Her body trembles with fear, her father has already died of aids, how will her family survive if she too is infected?" "
-Nikki Lovell recalls waiting anxiously for a young girls HIV test results.

Everyone knows that the AIDS epidemic throughout Africa is phenomenal. In Namwendwa, like many rural communities in Uganda there are many misconceptions surrounding AIDS. Some people believe that HIV/AIDS is a curse while others who have already tested positive are convinced that God will cure them. Another tragic misconception is that sleeping with a virgin will cure AIDS.

Every second year One Village co-ordinates a HIV/AIDS awareness program within Namwendwa to raise awareness about HIV/AIDS and encourage open, positive discussion while offering counselling, HIV testing and further support. The program is run over 1 or 2 days and is hosted by Namwendwa Primary School and open to the entire community. Throughout the day/s support organisations manage workshops and presentations to raise awareness. The presentations are given in the form of dramas and songs and are performed in the local language, Lusoga. The largest support organisation in Uganda, TASO, (www.tasouganda.org) also attends to provide further information and so community members can make the necessary contacts they need to receive further support. The local schools are also involved and often create role plays to encourage empathy within the community. Throughout the program counselling and HIV testing is also available. To encourage attendance One Village provides all community members with a substantial lunch during the program. This program has received much celebration and hope within the community, reaching over 2000 people.

In the future One Village would like to expand the program to reach more communities and also involve more schools.

" As the doctor enters the room, my heart pounds uncontrollably, it has never felt as loud and heavy. Harriet's eyes fluster with fear. When the doctor announces her results are negative, we both turn to each other, gasping with disbelief and overwhelming joy. We smile, and cry, and hug and then do it over again. There is hope for another day... "