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Saturday, 24 May 2008

To stop the spread of HIV/AIDSRaet vit. Habem hali in sulum Nutrition, ART for HIV-positive women   By Yelibenwork Ayele Observation of the Global AIDS Week of Action (GAWA) started last Sunday with a candle lighting ceremony in memory of those who died of HIV/AIDS but could have lived on and those who had been working hard to stop the spread of the disease. The following days the organizers of the week, the National Network of Positive Women Ethiopia (NNPWE), and Action Aid Ethiopia, were involved in various activities. They were holding conferences with journalists, campaigning for the provision of Anti-Retroviral Treatment (ART) and nutrition for HIV-Positive women. The purpose of the campaigns was to put ART and nutrition within the reach of HIV-Positive women. The NNPWE has called upon the government and other concerned organization to consider the scope of the problem and respond promptly. The GAWA, observed in May every year around the world, provides an opportunity to draw attention to the serious problems related to HIV/AIDS and get responses to urgent questions. This week, campaigners around the world stand together and collectively generate political pressure demanding action of leaders in the effort to fight the complex problems of HIV/AIDS. Globally, two out of three HIV-positive people still have no access to treatment. While women constitute an increasing portion of those living with HIV and bear greater burden of care, current AIDS responses do not tackle the violation of women's rights, which is a critical factor aggravating the disease. For the last two years GAWA activists had organized action in over thirty countries, holding leaders accountable on their commitments to fight AIDS at all levels and institutions. In 2005, world leaders made a historic promise to ensure universal access to treatment and care for people living with HIV/AIDS with the aim of coming as close as possible to the goal of universal access to treatment by 2010. However, the promises have not satisfactorily been backed up with practical responses. That this year's GAWA is observed two weeks a head of the UN meeting in New York is ideal in that it will be a timely occasion for world leaders to report to the UN the progress they have made to meet their commitments on HIV/AIDS. Besides, the G-8 countries are scheduled to meet in Japan next month. The GAWA offers activists the chance to demand the G-8 nations to keep their promises and to agree a funding plan for the universal access goal. There is no global secretariat or chief organizer for GAWA. But since HIV/AIDS is a global problem, various institutions and organizations working on prevention and control have taken the initiative to organize it internationally. One of the major objectives of the NNPWE is to advocate for proper care and treatment of women living with HIV/AIDS, advocate for the respect of their rights, and raise their basic issues and concerns. There are fundamental issues the NNPWE urges the government to pay attention to. It was preparing for this during the action week which it conducted with fund from Action Aid Ethiopia and Health Link International. One of the issues is organizing and involving HIV-positive women in income generating activities and freeing them from poverty and economic dependence while the other is ending violence against women. Poor levels of nutrition and HIV/AIDS are rempant in sub-Saharan Africa, including Ethiopia. Studies have confirmed that the composite effect of poor nutritional status and HIV/AIDS debilitate the health of carriers considerably and thus shorten their survival. Hence, universal access to ARV treatment and advocacy for comprehensive and appropriate nutrition program for people living with HIV/AIDS should be the priority agenda in the prevention and control of HIV/AIDS at the national level. In Ethiopia, among all the care and support for HIV-positive people, provision of adequate and appropriate nutrition is at its lowest level. Accordingly, the NNPWE is using this occasion to call upon all concerned to give priority to this issue.

 

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