21 Oct 2013

A campaign coordinator at the National AIDS Coordinating Agency (NACA), Mr Nonofo Leteane, says 43 per cent of youth understand HIV and AIDS.

Speaking during the educative fun-info fair launch, Mr Leteane said the Wise Up campaign, aimed to equip the remaining 57 per cent of the youth with skills to protect themselves from contracting HIV. Mr Leteane said the campaign was aimed at having no new infections by 2016.

He described the aim as a big challenge. The campaign was targeting the youth aged between 10 to 24, divided into three cohorts of 10 to 14, 15 to 19 and 20 to 24.

He said NACA did this because people had different needs, adding that the one size fits all approach was ineffective and there was need to address the categories accordingly. To reach the youth, he added, NACA was using multimedia effects because it was effective in transmitting messages to young people.

He said the campaign used the cell phone platform where the youth registered for free with NACA to receive informative messages on Fridays, the day on which the incidence of mischief went high as young people prepared for the weekend. Other platforms were the page they have on Facebook, the use of radio stations such as Yarona FM, RB2, Duma FM, as well as television programmes such as Silent Shout, Talk Back and Flavor Dome.

Mr Leteane also said NACA had trained district focal person who will be able to smooth over communication channels as they understand the diverse culture of Ngamiland. The focal persons will assist in addressing the four thematic areas of the campaign: proper and consistent use of condoms; myths and misconceptions about HIV and AIDS; alcohol and drug abuse; and risky behaviour such as intergenerational sex.

The UNICEF Deputy Representative, Mr Scott Whoolery, said the Wise Up campaign aimed to assist youth to maneuver through this challenging period when they were on a journey to identify who they were and where they fit in society.

Mr Whoolery said it took a thousand good decisions to reach where you want to go and just a few bad decisions to get off track, but one could always choose to get back on track once you had the essential information the campaign offered to steer your life in the right direction. ENDS