14 May 2018

Thusang Bana Centre founder and director, Mr Stanley Monageng also one of the first Batswana to disclose their HIV status, has decried low attendance of kgotla meetings aimed at raising awareness on the Treat All Strategy. 

Mr Monageng recently undertook a 500 km sponsored walk from Molepolole via Lephephe to Shoshong and ended in Gaborone to spread the massage of Treat All Strategy which he said many were not aware of. 

He said the walk was to demonstrate to the world that living with HIV did not mean one could not live a healthy life and that walking was one way of keeping healthy. 

Mr Monageng said the Treat All Strategy was a good initiative geared at ensuring an AIDS free generation. 

Mr Monageng who has been receiving treatment for 18 years said the establishment of Thusang Bana Centre was to help sell the HIV/AIDS preventive strategies to the youth and the community. 

He said he made his status known after realising that people feared testing for HIV because of the stigma and discrimination associated then, which resulted in many deaths.

 Kgosi Duncan Segotsi of Mahalapye, pleaded with Mahalalapye community to attend meetings meant to benefit them. 

He appreciated Mr Monageng and his team for teaching not only Mahalapye community but the entire nation about the Treat All Strategy. 

Thusang Bana Centre health educator and volunteer, Ms Lebogang Sekaname said the Treat All Strategy aimed to achieve zero per cent HIV transmission and ensure statistics of those infected did not increase. 

Ms Sekaname said it was important that the community took part in making sure the initiative succeeded and not put the responsibility solely on the health ministry. 

She said the program encouraged people to test for HIV and start treatment immediately but added it did not dismiss other prevention methods. 

“If we can be able to continue taking care of our health, test for HIV and use condoms we can fight HIV,” she said. She also highlighted that there was a single powerful tablet for HIV treatment with less side effects. 

“These ARVs are human body friendly which should give people more reason to take them without complaints,” she said. 

Ms Boipelo Sebina from Mahalapye hospital pleaded with the community to test for HIV saying Mahalapye was among the districts with high HIV rate. ENDS