07 Apr 2015

The Minister of Youth, Sport and Culture, Mr Thapelo Olopeng, says young people are agents of change in as far as combating the HIV/AIDS scourge is concerned.

Officially closing the Month of Youth Against AIDS (MYAA) campaign in Jwaneng recently, Mr Olopeng noted that there was need for behavioural change so that Botswana could achieve the zero new infections goal as stipulated by the United Nations Declaration of 2011.

He said change could be achieved by putting more emphasis on preventive measures in an effort to strive for a healthier nation in future.

“I believe that the fight against HIV/AIDS will be won on the prevention battle front. Young people with their positive energy can defeat the HIV scourge and deliver a healthy and prosperous nation,” he trusted.

He said even though contributory factors such as the high rate of STIs, alcohol and substance abuse, as well as multiple concurrent partnerships, continued to pose a challenge, it was a good thing that all of them have to do with behavior, meaning they were within the control of each individual and could be addressed through behavioural interventions.

He called upon the youth and all stakeholders who had the potential to empower young people to work hard to reverse the status quo, and assured the youth that the government was working around the clock to ensure that they were empowered through sustainable socio-economic programmes. 

Furthermore, the minister underscored the need to break barriers and do away with cultural practices and moral values that could jeopardize the government’s efforts to fight HIV/AIDS. 

Thus he urged parents to openly communicate with their children about sexual issues so that they could make informed decisions.

“We need to be knowledgeable and comfortable to talk about sexuality education with our children. This knowledge will help these young people to make informed decisions about their lives,” he said.

He also urged traditional leaders to make a habit to convey HIV/AIDS messages during the gatherings they grace in an effort to preserve the future of the country. 

He said it was time Batswana did away with cultural barriers because young people were perishing and in the process thwarting the government’s efforts to fight the pandemic.

“We need to re-examine our moral values, cultural practices and norms if we are to achieve our national goal of zero new HIV infections as these could become obstacles or impediments to our prevention strategies or even become key drivers of the pandemic with the frightening certainty of reversing all the gains made so far,” he noted. ENDS