77,000 People Are HIV Positive In Sierra Leone
– AHF-SL Discloses
BY SAHR ERIC D. MATTURI
One of the leading health development partners in Sierra Leone, the AIDS Healthcare Foundation Sierra Leone (AHF-SL), in collaboration with the Planned Parenthood Association Sierra Leone (PPASL), on 8th March 2024, commemorated the international Women Day at the Sierra Palm Hotel in Freetown on the theme “inspired inclusion”. The spectacular and colorful event attracted a huge crowd of women’s groups, the Women with disability, the Armed Forces and Sierra Leone Police Wives Association, the Ministry of Gender Affairs, the National AIDS Secretariat(NAS), Concern for disability women and Children, and the Girls Advocacy Development Network.
The meeting was climaxed by a panel discussion on Gender Equality.
The prevention and advocacy Manager (AHF-SL), Madam Esther Teh, citing the objectives, revealed that (AHF-SL) is using the International Women’s Day to recognize the successes that women have gained over the years, and also to identify the gaps and challenges women are faced with in Sierra Leone and beyond.
Manager Teh added that AHF is an international Non-Governmental Organization that is providing treatment, health care and support to people leaving with HIV/AIDS.
She furthered that the panel discussion would center on Gender Equality, with representatives from the Gender Ministry and Parliament (NAS) women groups to discuss and develop key action points, which they will take up to the appropriates key institutions to access the result they would get from it. She revealed that HIV/AIDS prevalence rate in Sierra Leone is 1.7%, which is 77,000 people. She added that women are made up of 2.2% out of the 77,000, while men are 1.1%, indicating that HIV/AIDS prevalence rate is higher among women than men.
The representative from Ministry of Gender Affairs, Foday M. Sesay, an Assistance Director, disclosed they have 13 priority areas in the Gender policy. And that Priority 5 clearly speaks out that people with HIV are fully guaranteed in terms of their rights and participation, he noted that by 2025, 60% would be empowered for them to feel safe.
The National AIDS/HIV Secretariat (NAS) Senior Technical Adviser Human Rights and Key Population expert, Amara S. Libbie, revealed that it is their core mandate to ensure epidemic control of HIV/AIDS, adding that a lot have been done. AHF-SL happen to be one of their health development partners and they are well impressed with their output. In that regard, NAS will continue to collaborate with AHF to compliment strides made by the ministry of Health and Sanitation. “We need to develop strategies for Action Point, and women with disability deserve attention” he explained.
Madam Rashidatu Bangura, a victim of HIV/AIDS, in her statement, expressed thanks and appreciation to AHF and its partners for their support, and called on AHF-SL and NAS to Construct Rehabilitation Center for Women with HIV/AIDS.