Botswana: The Botswanan government recently hosted a post-launch event for the MYAA Activities. The Month of Youths Against HIV/AIDS is an annual initiative of the Botswanan government. The event aims to incite youth action against HIV/AIDS.
The Molepolole District Office collaborated with social clubs in the region to host a post-launch of MYAA activity. The event was hosted in Kopong under the theme “Let Communities Lead”.
The government of Botswana has observed a continued trend of HIV/AIDS infections among youngsters. The administration claims that the youngsters’ socio-economic status is a major factor contributing to the situation.
In light of the situation, the administration of the country has pledged to combat the situation. Accordingly, the administration has been looking into the various challenges that the youngsters are facing.
Gaborone is one of the hotspots of HIV/AIDS infections among the youngsters of the country. The officials have shared that the second hospital that they observed was in Kweneng East.
The welcome remarks for the launch event were delivered by Kgosi Betty Sentsho of Kopong village. She shared that drug abuse and peer pressure as some of the challenges faced by youngsters. She also encouraged parents to keep their children away from these social evils.
According to the official records, Kweneng East has recorded 480 new infections of HIV/AIDS. The situation is worrisome for the authorities and needs to be addressed effectively.
As a part of the post-launch event for MYAA Activities, the authorities hosted a football tournament. The following football teams and social clubs were in attendance at the event:
- Legakabe
- The Brand
- Motswakhumo
- Kgomokgwana.
The Brand against Legakabe ended with the victory of the Brand who scored 4 goals to counter their opponents’ score of 3. Kgomokgwana against Motswakhumo ended at a final score of 3-2 in favour of the Kgomokgwana team
The one-day football tournament was hosted at the Legakabe Social Club Grounds.
Thabo Percy Seema, Principal Officer I delivered a brief address at the launch event. He said the administration chose Kopong to host MYAA to sensitize young people. The event also served as an opportunity to close the gap in HIV testing.
The Kweneng District Health Management Team, Dreams, Tebelopele, Thusang Bana, and Kopong Clinic were present at the event. They provide screening and testing to intensify efforts in the fight against HIV/AIDS.
Councilor Seipokeng Mokote delivered the closing remarks at the event. He encouraged young people to test for the infections while there is time for ARV treatment to work. Further, he asked the people to continue to get health screenings after the event.