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BY RICHARD DRASIMAKU
ARUA CITY: WEDNESDAY, JUNE 18, 2025
The People Empowering People was one of the community based organisations participating in the HIV/AIDS program in Madi-Okollo district.
The program was funded by the Centers for Disease Control of the United States of America through the Infectious Disease Institute of Makerere University.
Alex Onzima, the project manager for PEP said he is thankful to the CDC and the American People for the opportunity to allow them to participate in this sensitive area of community mobilization to combat HIV/AIDS.
“As a CBO we worked through health facilities at least eight of them in eight sub-counties I Madi-Okollo,” he disclosed in an interview.
The facilities are the Rhino Camp HCIV, Olujobu HCIII, Ocea HCIII, Odobu HCIII, Pawor HCIII, Inde HCIII, Okollo HCIII and Ofaka HCIII.
Onzima said since 2021, they implemented eight components but the main focus were three areas that were seen as critical.
These are targeted testing, stigma reduction and encouraging adherence to therapy in order to achieve 95, 95, 95 target of the Presidential Fast Track Initiative on HIV/AIDS by 2030.
The core principle of the vision is that by 2030, 95% of the community members should know their status for instance if a spouse is positive, their partner should also test to know their status, and a person in polygamous marriage should have all the spousal partners tested including the children.
At least 95% of all those who test positive should be enrolled onto antiretroviral therapy and 95% of those on ARV should be helped to adhere to treatment.
“We conduct follow-ups to lost patients and encourage people to commit to the treatment regime so that their viral load is suppressed and new transmissions are curtailed,” he said.
Onzima added that some of their work revolved around reduction of stigma, support to Tuberculosis patients and pregnant women through supply of food supplements.
