18 Mar 2013

Remmogo Youth Organisation executive director has expressed displeasure at the way the youth are handling themselves, particularly on issues of relationships and morality in their diverse communities.

Speaking at the Motivational Talk organised by the Information Services, Broadcasting Services and Government Printing and Publishing Services departments, Mr Kagiso Morebodi called for behavioural change among the youth saying the country was only a few years away from its national vision, where a healthy nation was one of the things to be attained by 2016. 

Mr Morebodi noted that issues of multiple concurrent sexual partnerships were the major factors in the spread of the HIV virus, and thus pleaded with the youth to refrain from such ills.

He added that so far the government had spent a lot of money on Anti-retroviral drugs and it was upon individuals or communities to ensure that they also did something to help in the fight of the HIV and AIDS pandemic.

The motivational talk was part of the Month of Youth Against Aids (MYAA) commemoration and it was on such a backdrop that the three departments also made efforts to sensitise their staff members on HIV and AIDS issues.

The month of March has been set aside to look into issues related to HIV and AIDS amongst the youth population in Botswana as part of the efforts towards the national response.

MYAA is a period during which young people, in collaboration with various partners, hold HIV and AIDS sensitisation, community mobilisation and outreach and advocacy campaigns throughout the country.

Such advocacy campaigns are done with an intention of raising the nation’s HIV and AIDS awareness levels and to identify better ways of dealing with the problems identified.

This year’s theme is: Zero new HIV infections, zero discrimination, zero aids related deaths.

Meanwhile, Kaone Ramontshonyana of Big Brother Africa fame also graced the event and recited a poem which encouraged Safe Male Circumcision (SMC) among the youth.

As part of the activities on the day, there was HIV and AIDS voluntary testing and counselling, signing of commitment to fight against AIDS by the three departments.  

MYAA is also intended to provide behaviour change interventions and communication on HIV/AIDS in the health sector for HIV/AIDS and STI interventions by using areas such as promotion of SMC, consistent correct condom use, abstinence and self-awareness. ENDS