By: Lloyd M’bwana
World Faith Malawi (WFM), a faith-based grouping comprising youths from different denomination has expressed sadness over the country’s continual registering new HIV/AIDS infection among young people with the call for a comprehensive approach.
The development comes amid scaring figures in the 2015-2020 Malawi HIV and AIDS Prevention Strategy (MHAPS) which shows that the HIV prevalence among adult population aged 15 – 49 years is at 10.6% as disparities still persist among women (12.9%) than men (8.1%) with 17.4% and 8.9% for urban and rural population respectively.
Further discrepancies occur among key and vulnerable populations of Malawi that have HIV prevalence rates above 20% of commercial sex works, teachers, men in uniform and men who have sex with men, a development which needs a urgent attention.
The estimated number of new infections is currently at 34,000 annually and half of these infections are occurring among young people aged 15-24 years and the majority of people being infected are those who were previously considered to be at low risk, for example, couples and partners in stable sexual relationships which accounts for 80% of new infections.
The major causes of HIV infection among heterosexual couples include high prevalence of unprotected sex, multiple concurrent partnerships and discordance in long term sexual relationships. The drivers of HIV infection among cohabiting and married couples include cultural norms, dissatisfaction in main relationship, economic needs, separation of partners due to job mobility, and unsafe sex with partners other than the main partner.
This is the reason WFM has intensified awareness campaign among the youths from various religious grouping across the country on the National HIV and AIDs Strategic Plan, National HIV prevention Strategy and Monitoring and evaluation in a bid to combat HIV and AIDS.
With funding from its mother body, World Faith International injunction with Malawi Interfaith AIDs Association (MIAA) with National AIDs Commission (NAC), WFM has rolled out the campaign on how best youths groups could familiarize with the national prevention strategy starting with central region.
The conference drew about 60 youth leaders from Christians, Muslims and Baha’i faith with expectation to scale down key issues in their various organizations’ programming.
In an exclusive interview with The Maravi Post after hosting the first seminar on the national key instruments for the strategy at Maula Cathedral in the capital Lilongwe, Sarah Kakusa WFM Program Manager hinted the need to engage youth religious leaders saying existing structures will enhance the campaign.
Kakusa observed that the current new HIV/AIDS infection was alarming as most those contracting the virus were young people who are key to the country’s development hence the need to engage them with ultimate approach to reduce the scourge.
“The current new HIV/AIDS infection rates aren’t pleasing at all especially when young people are dominating due to poverty, information gap and access to contraceptive services as most of them live in the remotest. This is the reason the campaign has been rolled out to scale down the national prevention strategy among the youths across the nation.
“Participants to this orientation are expected to support and advance HIV and AIDs related activities that are aligned to the national agenda and focused that could in the long run contribute to the achievement of the 90:90:90 national targets.
“We are targeting youth from various religious grouping as they have already existing structures where dissemination on key issues in the strategy will be easy. With funding permitting, we will extend the awareness campaign in other regions to reach many young people especially girls who are much vulnerable”, assures Kakusa.
