Namibia: Get rid of stigma in battle against AIDS pandemic
By Surihe GaomasWindhoek , New Era (Windhoek), September 14, 2005
NAMIBIA- "THE trouble we have here is stigma. Stigma kills the person before the disease, making stigma the number one enemy."
This was the view if facilitator of Home Based Care Training Ben Motinga when he addressed peer graduates in Windhoek last Friday.
Speaking strongly about the growing problem of stigma and discrimination against people infected with HIV/AIDS, Motinga said the only way to win the battle against the pandemic is to break the silence and stigma associated with it.
It is a well-known fact that a person infected with the HIV virus can only live a positive lifestyle if relatives and community around them provide holistic support and care. This in a nutshell is the power of humanity to tackle the pandemic head on.
However, in most cases many HIV-positive people are either shunned or hidden by family members due to ignorance and shame.
Some are even kept in kambashus (cuca shops) or makeshift shacks built behind most households in residential areas in the city.
Echoing the same sentiments, secretary general of the Namibia Red Cross Society Razia Essack-Kauaria said: "The beneficiaries sometimes don't want to receive food rations from a Red Cross official because of the stigma."
Stigma and discrimination is said to be more evident in the urban areas of the country, rather than the rural areas. The reason for this is that in villages, the extended family support structure is much more reliable than the individualistic setup found in the city areas.
This kind of situation ultimately ends up in neglect and with patients being considered as outcasts that are not provided with the opportunity to die with human dignity.
"That's why the obstacle is stigma and society must get rid of this killing mentality," said Motinga, who is a home-based care volunteer.
"We have to fight HIV/AIDS the killer disease, not the person suffering from it," said counsellor Mwadina Sibiya, who delivered the keynote address on behalf of Governor of the Khomas Region Sofia Shaningwa.
She commended the graduates for their dedication in assisting government to address the growing problem of HIV/AIDS in the country.
Sibiya however noted with concern the lack of bed space at the hospitals in the country, thus placing a heavy burden on the health infrastructure and its staff.
In view of this, it has become imperative that home-based care volunteers play a vital role in caring for those infected in a home environment.
"I am very worried, the hospital beds are overflowing, the health workers are overloaded and more such training has to be provided by the year 2030 as part of Vision 2030," said Sibiya when addressing the 35 new home-based care volunteers.
A call was also made for society to break the silence on HIV/AIDS, get rid of the stigma and discrimination attached to the disease and to look at overall inclusiveness.
"We must aggressively deal with opportunistic infections and work with families and communities to care for children and young people to protect them from violence, abuse and ensure that they grow up in a safe and supportive environment," concluded Sibiya.
Currently, Namibia is ranked as one of the three countries in Africa with a successful distribution of Anti-retroviral drugs (ARVs), alongside Botswana and Uganda.
According to statistics from the Namibia Red Cross Society, so far 89 beneficiaries are on ARVs in the Khomas Region alone, with over 4 000 active volunteers in the country.
The Ministry of Health and Social Services together with the Namibia Red Cross have ensured a remarkable 100 percent compliance of patients on ARVs especially in the Caprivi, Otjozondjupa and Ohangwena regions.
The graduation ceremony of the third phase of Home Based Care Givers was held under the theme "Power of humanity is to protect human dignity".
Source: AllAfrica.com
NAMIBIA- "THE trouble we have here is stigma. Stigma kills the person before the disease, making stigma the number one enemy."
This was the view if facilitator of Home Based Care Training Ben Motinga when he addressed peer graduates in Windhoek last Friday.
Speaking strongly about the growing problem of stigma and discrimination against people infected with HIV/AIDS, Motinga said the only way to win the battle against the pandemic is to break the silence and stigma associated with it.
It is a well-known fact that a person infected with the HIV virus can only live a positive lifestyle if relatives and community around them provide holistic support and care. This in a nutshell is the power of humanity to tackle the pandemic head on.
However, in most cases many HIV-positive people are either shunned or hidden by family members due to ignorance and shame.
Some are even kept in kambashus (cuca shops) or makeshift shacks built behind most households in residential areas in the city.
Echoing the same sentiments, secretary general of the Namibia Red Cross Society Razia Essack-Kauaria said: "The beneficiaries sometimes don't want to receive food rations from a Red Cross official because of the stigma."
Stigma and discrimination is said to be more evident in the urban areas of the country, rather than the rural areas. The reason for this is that in villages, the extended family support structure is much more reliable than the individualistic setup found in the city areas.
This kind of situation ultimately ends up in neglect and with patients being considered as outcasts that are not provided with the opportunity to die with human dignity.
"That's why the obstacle is stigma and society must get rid of this killing mentality," said Motinga, who is a home-based care volunteer.
"We have to fight HIV/AIDS the killer disease, not the person suffering from it," said counsellor Mwadina Sibiya, who delivered the keynote address on behalf of Governor of the Khomas Region Sofia Shaningwa.
She commended the graduates for their dedication in assisting government to address the growing problem of HIV/AIDS in the country.
Sibiya however noted with concern the lack of bed space at the hospitals in the country, thus placing a heavy burden on the health infrastructure and its staff.
In view of this, it has become imperative that home-based care volunteers play a vital role in caring for those infected in a home environment.
"I am very worried, the hospital beds are overflowing, the health workers are overloaded and more such training has to be provided by the year 2030 as part of Vision 2030," said Sibiya when addressing the 35 new home-based care volunteers.
A call was also made for society to break the silence on HIV/AIDS, get rid of the stigma and discrimination attached to the disease and to look at overall inclusiveness.
"We must aggressively deal with opportunistic infections and work with families and communities to care for children and young people to protect them from violence, abuse and ensure that they grow up in a safe and supportive environment," concluded Sibiya.
Currently, Namibia is ranked as one of the three countries in Africa with a successful distribution of Anti-retroviral drugs (ARVs), alongside Botswana and Uganda.
According to statistics from the Namibia Red Cross Society, so far 89 beneficiaries are on ARVs in the Khomas Region alone, with over 4 000 active volunteers in the country.
The Ministry of Health and Social Services together with the Namibia Red Cross have ensured a remarkable 100 percent compliance of patients on ARVs especially in the Caprivi, Otjozondjupa and Ohangwena regions.
The graduation ceremony of the third phase of Home Based Care Givers was held under the theme "Power of humanity is to protect human dignity".
Source: AllAfrica.com
posted by AIDS-Care-Watch at 10:34 am
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