At the occasion of this year’s World AIDS Day, Action Sociale Chéché, in partnership with the NGO Action for Peace and Women Professional Development, APWPD, organized a conference on HIV/AIDS with the theme: Youth facing HIV/AIDS: prevention, awareness and taking control.

The conference was organized to raise awareness among the youth and dispel certain taboos and misconceptions about the pandemic; and to call for collective action to strengthen diverse prevention strategies and eliminate structural barriers, with the goal of ending AIDS in the DRC by 2030. The primary target audience for the conference was the students from Chéché, but we also had visiting students from the neighboring school, the Xaverian Missionaries, as well as other interested individuals and instructors from both schools. The room was packed, with approximately 500 people in attendance. We were addressed by Dr. Tania Kilapi from the WHO, Bukavu.

The conference was divided into two parts. The first part provided an overview of the difference between HIV and AIDS to help young people understand that these are two distinct things: the virus (the microbe) and the disease. After explaining the virus and the illness it causes, the speaker got to the heart of the matter: how to prevent, understand, and manage the virus.

To introduce her topic, Ms. Tania began with current statistics for the South Kivu province: 1.9% of the population is affected. This is a local reality. Young girls are more vulnerable than boys due to biology and social pressure. Added to this is the context of the ongoing conflicts: displacement and insecurity increase the risks (sexual violence, lack of access to healthcare).

In the first part of her presentation, the speaker explained the difference between Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV, the virus that attacks the body’s defense system) and Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome (AIDS, the advanced stage of the disease, when the body can no longer defend itself against infections). She then spoke about the different liquids that carry the virus, the modes of transmission and those that do not, before urging the audience to get tested quickly and easily as the only way to know their serological status and to take care of themselves and others. She also addressed pitfalls to avoid: survival sex, alcohol and drugs, and the illusion of good health. The first part concluded with prevention strategies.

The second part was introduced by the following question: Why are young people vulnerable? Cultural taboos, gender inequalities, and economic factors provide elements of the answer to this question:

• The difficulty of talking about sexuality in the family or at school limits access to vital information on sexual health;
• Young girls are biologically and socially more exposed (violence, early marriages, etc. );
• Poverty can push some young people towards risky practices or transactional relationships in order to survive.

The doctor then presented the means of prevention, placing greater emphasis on PrEP (preventive medication for those who are exposed), VMMC, but above all on education (integrating comprehensive sexual education into Congolese schools and communities).

Contrasting popular beliefs with scientific truth, Ms. Tania emphasized that HIV is a reality, anyone can contract it, and it is neither divine punishment nor a curse. It is impossible to detect with the naked eye; a person can carry the virus for years without symptoms, she added. Several steps must be taken to raise awareness.

• To train community leaders, peer educators;
• Accept and support people living with HIV and encourage testing;
• Use radio, music and social media to spread the right messages.

Testing remains the true and only way to take control. The speaker therefore urged and encouraged the audience to get tested voluntarily in order to know their serological status and monitor themselves, because knowing one’s status allows one to protect their health and that of their partners.

She concluded her conference by calling for action among Congolese youth with this statement: We are the generation without AIDS. Our future depends on our choices today. Let us be responsible and united.

The ensuing question-and-answer session was very productive, open, and free of taboos. The goal was for our participants to leave the conference with a clear understanding of HIV/AIDS and to become educators in their communities. They were satisfied, and some even signed up for voluntary testing.  

Por, Fr. Cyril Methodius KAZWALA, SJ

General Director, Action Sociale Chéché

Bukavu – DRC