By William J. Mbangula
Oshakati
The Catholic Aids Action (CAA) in Oshana is encouraged by the positive participation by men in the HIV/AIDS home-based care voluntary service.
Based on the number of men graduating from the home-based care training over the past months, the CAA believes that its effort to include all people in the campaign has been successful.
This is the view of the Regional Coordinator of the CAA in Oshana John Kamati. He spoke to New Era after the graduation ceremony of 39 volunteers at Okatana.
Among those who graduated were nine men from various districts under the CAA. Said Kamati: “We are very much optimistic that our appeal to the men folk to actively participate in the HIV/AIDS campaign has been heeded. We hope to have a higher number of men in the next intake, due to start training in November.”
The CAA has been training volunteers at Okatana since May as part of its efforts to have all the districts and centres of the CAA covered by its outreach programme. The trainees graduated on Thursday, September 27. They are from CAA centres at Ongha, Epalala, Indangungu, Amutanga, Oshakati and Omagongati.
In terms of the CAA operational methods, the centres and districts are supposed to have at least 275 home-based care volunteers.
Therefore, the CAA trains people on a continuous basis in order to keep their number at the required level.
According to Kamati, this is necessary because some of the volunteers could leave their workplace due to various reasons such as employment, relocation, resignation or death.