About fifty customary chiefs from Ziro province made a firm commitment on July 19, 2023, to participate in the fight against HIV/AIDS, STIs and discrimination.

The meeting room of the town hall of Sapouy hosted on Wednesday July 19, 2023, an advocacy workshop with traditional leaders on the issue of HIV/AIDS. It was High Commissioner Saïba Zoromé who opened the works alongside the head of Issouka, the Naaba Saga 1er.

“We, the traditional leaders of Ziro province, make this day (July 19, 2023) a firm commitment to fight against HIV/AIDS, sexually transmitted infections and discrimination against people living with HIV/AIDS. »

Such is the commitment made to fight against HIV/AIDS by the fifty or so traditional chiefs or representatives of Ziro province. They chanted this commitment through the streets of the city of Sapouy.

Indeed, brought together for a workshop organized by the Rayimi association on the issue of HIV/AIDS, the customary chiefs of the Ziro have strengthened their capacities on the factors that spread HIV, its modes of contamination and good practices so as not to be contaminated.

The representative of the SP/CNLS branch in the center west, Moussa Kaboré gave the necessary information and advice to traditional leaders in order to eliminate HIV by 2030 in Ziro province.

To do this, he invited them to intervene with husbands in order to be screened or enrolled in health facilities. For him, generally, women are screened during prenatal consultations. If a woman is found to be positive, she is often discriminated against or repudiated by her husband. In many cases, this last refuge to get tested.

Treatments and examinations are free nationwide, he added.

According to the representative of the head doctor of Sapouy, the prevalence of HIV/AIDS in the Center West region is 0.82%. More than 200 people are on ARV treatment in Ziro province. Ignorance of contraceptive methods, proximity to the city of Ouagadougou, the position of a crossroads province, are the main factors in the spread of the pandemic.

High Commissioner Saiba Zoromé hailed the initiative of the Rayimi association on this issue of HIV/AIDS. For him, people think that AIDS is no longer relevant, whereas it still remains a public health problem.

He praised the actions of the head of Issouka, the Naba Saga 1er at the head of the Rayimi association. It should be noted that since 2021, the Rayimi association, with the support of its partner UN-AIDS, has been working in HIV/AIDS screening, care for infected and affected children, awareness-raising and the commitment of traditional leaders.

Naba Saga 1er invited the traditional leaders of Ziro to emphasize respect for traditional values. He insisted on the education of children and the non-exclusion of women from society.

Source: Burkina Information Agency