WINDHOEK- Immanuel Sheefeni who last week embarked on a 700-kilometre walk from Ongwediva to Windhoek with the purpose of raising awareness on HIV/AIDS arrived in Windhoek yesterday.
He was met by friends and family at the Brakwater roadblock. Although not many in number, they were happy to see him – hugging and congratulating him on accomplishing his mission.
Sheefeni’ s childhood friend Paavo Shapata, when asked to comment on his friend’s campaign, said: “He made the impossible possible. What he did not many people can do. He is courageous and that is how I know him.”
His supporters walked with him the remaining 20 kilometres to Windhoek, with the group slightly swelling in numbers along the way.
The first stop in town was the Katutura State Hospital where he underwent a medical check-up. Nurses at the hospital received him with hugs and words of encouragement. “I am finally here. I want to thank God and everybody who supported me. It feels great, mission accomplished,” said an emotional Sheefeni who was diagnosed with HIV last July.
He described his journey as an experience that he would not forget nor trade for anything. “I enjoyed every part of it,” Sheefeni said, adding that the journey did not have a negative effect on his health, apart from blisters and fatigue, because he had a medical check-up at every town along the way.
“I am still fit. The body is tired but the joy [of having accomplished my mission] overtakes the pain. Many times, when I did not see an indication of the kilometres [along the road] I felt like I would never get there but the reason why I started kept me going,” Sheefeni said, adding that he made sure he did not cover more than 120 kilometres each day of the walk.
His motivation for undertaking the walk, he said, was because formal events on HIV/AIDS do not really have much of an impact to get people talking about the illness. “The reason is just to have people talking about HIV/AIDS. For people to bring up the topic now and then – so I felt it was a good idea to move the youth to have them talking about it,” the 30-year-old said.
He added that he also wanted to give a message to employers, particularly the Namibian Defence Force and the Namibian Police, that HIV-positive people who are are fit can perform difficult tasks.
“I am very positive and know the message went out there. I’m sure my campaign is successful. The response from the community was very positive. I had many people stop to ask what I was doing and I explained to them. Some offered water, some offered food but unfortunately I could not carry a lot of things so I could not take much.”
In every town where he stopped he spread the word on HIV/AIDS but said his campaign was not necessarily stigma free. “Especially when I spoke and gave presentations people were still scared to use certain words or just to ask the right questions, the fear is still there,” he said.
His next mission is to visit high schools in different parts of the country where he will also share the message. “There is nothing more that I want than to see the virus out of Namibia completely. I really wish it can end with me,” he said emotionally, adding: “Government is doing its best and I don’t think there is much that they can do. It’s up to us as individuals to take it [the fight against HIV/AIDS] up further.”
By Alvine Kapitako