Aid in Action
Scaling up HIV Programming along Transport Routes in South Sudan
Special Event Raises HIV Awareness in Border Community
Kaya, South Sudan
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Thursday, March 01, 2007
Photo: Stephanie Weber
A young musician serenades the crowd with HIV and AIDS awareness songs using local instruments.
Kaya, South Sudan, is a booming town, with businesses opening overnight and trade flowing freely along this major transport corridor. Bordering Uganda and the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Kaya receives a constant flow of traders, truck drivers, and returnees. With so much movement, the risk of HIV transmission is high among the host community and mobile groups.
As a response, ROADS Partner American Refugee Committee (ARC) International began implementing HIV/AIDS awareness, prevention, care and support programs in South Sudan. In Kaya specifically, ARC provides HIV counseling and testing and Sexually Transmitted Infection (STI) services, supports peer educators and home-based care workers, and conducts ongoing training for secondary audiences.
In March 2007, to raise community awareness of HIV and AIDS and address stigma and discrimination, an all-day special event was held in Kaya. All community members were called upon to develop and implement the event. Religious leaders, local authorities, women’s associations, students, PLHA groups, and even local chiefs from neighboring DRC became active in the final preparations.
The celebration began at the C&T site, where speeches addressed the importance of counseling and testing. From there, participants, singing and drumming, marched through the streets of Kaya to the special event site. Representatives from Spirit FM, a local radio station in Yei, made the two-hour journey to Kaya to record the event live so a wider audience could be targeted with the informative messages.
The day unfolded with inspirational and informative speeches by influential members of the community. Public testimonies were delivered by members of People Living with HIV/AIDS (PLHA) groups, a local women’s association performed an entertaining drama on the consequences of adultery, and young musicians serenaded the crowd with HIV awareness songs while women graced the audience with traditional dances. The event ended with local leaders requesting community members to listen, learn and act upon all that was shared throughout the event. As the music began to fade and the crowd started to disperse, one last request was made: for this to not be the first and last time that Kaya would host a special event. By the end of the day, over 1,300 individuals had attended.