 |
Activity ReportsSummary Report for the Movement for the Promotion of youths Rights and HIV/AIDS Awareness (MPYRAA) For 2007 Mission: To Fight Against HIV/AIDS,Human Rights Abuses and Alleviate Poverty. Background HIV/AIDS and poverty has over the last decades been ravaging the lives of many young persons in Africa and Cameroon in Particular. Recent statistics from Cameroon’s ministry of public health indicates that 61% of HIV patients are in the age group of 15 and 24 years old. The number of infected girls is four times more than the boys. The government of Cameroon has been working very hard to remedy the situation by providing Anti rhetroviral drugs to infected persons, encouraging voluntary testing and counseling. All the above mentioned activities to fight HIV/AIDS by the government hardly clearly target a specific age group. It has been observed that usually when both Adults and youths are put in the same hall for lectures on HIV/AIDS both shy away from expressing their minds by so doing the goals are hardly attained. It was within this backdrop that MPYRAA was created in 2000 to fill the existing gap and completing government efforts in that domain and many others. Our Activities In Line with its mission of fighting HIV/AIDS, Human Rights and Poverty, MPYRAA has been organizing several activities geared at reaching the youths and alleviating poverty in the South West Province of Cameroon these include Capacity Building of Support Staff, Annual Sports and Cultural Festivals, studies of and support to HIV/AIDS orphans, etc. Capacity Building of Support Staff To achieve it’s Mission and in prelude to effective implantation of its action plan, MPYRAA took off by organizing a series of capacity building workshops with 20 Volunteers peer Educators. The workshops which lasted two months each per year dwelled on the mode of transmission of HIV, Strategies of control, management techniques of HIV infected persons and counseling, Human Rights Lessons, Vocational trainings for Widows and Orphaned Children. Annual Sports and Cultural Festivals Since inception in 2000, MPYRAA has routinely organized crowd pulling sporting and cultural festivals during the summer holidays where youths are actively involved in competing in disciplines such as football, traditional dances, singing, quizzes and drama. These events have constantly been revolving between cities and village communities in and around the South West province of Cameroon. So far we have organized similarly activities with the award of prizes in Kumba in Meme Division, Buea fako Divisio, Nguti Kupe Muanenguba Division, Mamfe Manyu Divison, and of recent Ekondotiti in Ndian Divison and Mbetta in the Kupe Muanenguba Division. These festivals remain the best meeting points between our voluntary peer educators and the youths in the area. We therefore seize the advantage to meet with people and create awareness. The youths are usually in their most effective state of mind during competitions and our peer educators use this opportunity to educate them on the dangers of HIV/AIDS, mood of transmission and prevention. Voluntary Screening is also done during the games and those found positive are referred to our office and their means of movement facilitated by MPYRAA to the Limbe provincial hospital which is an approved centre for free anti rhetroviral treatment. HIV/AIDS ORPHANS One of the activities in our action plan has been to indentify orphans of HIV/AIDS, street children and school drop outs, this has been ongoing and our register regularly updated. To facilitate access to education for these children, we pay tuition fees and make available all the other needs for most of them and for some who are better off we provided exercise books. It is clear that our actions significantly alleviate the plight of the few that our generosity can reach, with our grossly limited means. MEETING WITH THE DEAF Another annual activity of MPYAA is our meeting with the deaf of the EPHPHATA institute for the deaf in Kumba. These are a set of individuals who neither hear nor talk. Because of this reason, all of them are vulnerable to diseases and Human Rights abuses. We found it necessary to pay them regular annual visits, counsel the staff and students with the help of their principal who interprets to them in sign language. We are today getting very positive results for the work we have been doing there this far. The students themselves now pass on the message to other deaf people who are not opportune to attend a school like theirs and even to hearing people who had no idea of the existence of HIV/AIDS, STI’s, Human Rights Abuses etc. |