By William Mbangula
Ombandjele
More people in and around Outapi constituency in the Omusati Region are volunteering for counselling and HIV/Aids testing.
The site manager of New Start Centre for voluntary testing and counselling at Outapi, Martin Mukulu, told New Era that information at his disposal shows a great improvement in the number of people coming forward for testing.
“The methods which we are using, not allowing the people being tested to use their own names and not to take the results home, is encouraging people to come forward because they feel a sense of confidentiality is strictly maintained,” said Mukulu.
Apart from the centre at Outapi, there is another at Otshikuku, the only two centres so far in the Omusati Region.
Mukulu attributed the increase of volunteers to the fact that the centre is known to various users due to its strategic location in front of the Outapi District Hospital.
TCE is a three-year HIV awareness campaign programme implemented by DAPP (Development Aid from People to People) in the north and the Kavango Region.
Working under the clarion call: “Only the people can liberate themselves from HIV/AIDS”, it is financed by the Global fund through the Ministry of Health and Social Services.
Previously, the centre was in an obscure location in a residential area in Outapi where people could not find it easily. Presently, the centre is more exposed and serves an average of 40 people a day, which Mukuku said is in line with the capacity of the office and the needs of the people.
The New Start Centre started its activities in Outapi in June 2006. From June to December last year, it tested 1 111 people, 917 of whom tested negative.
During the first nine months of this year, about 2 647 people were tested.
Among them, 431 were found to be positive, of whom 164 were male and 267 female. A total of 4 911 have been tested so far.
Run by eight employees under the umbrella of DAPP and working in conjunction with the sister organisation of DAPP, the TCE, the New Start Centre faces challenges which Mukulu feels need to be addressed in order to make the centre more effective.
The challenges include having to convince the men folk to go for voluntary testing. So far, only one third of men are tested.
Mukulu suspects the reason for men’s reluctance could be carelessness as well as ignorance. He suggested that there be a deliberate awareness campaign on voluntary testing and counselling for men only.
Another challenge facing the centre, said Mukulu, is the acquisition of mobile testing facilities and reliable transport which can take the field workers to various villages and towns.
The third challenge is to have a fulltime mobilizer for the centre who can go from one place to another to make people aware of the need to have their status known and to start receiving the care they may need.
Said Mukulu: “So far, we have managed to make an impact on the communities by visiting schools and workplaces and also by influencing people through the distribution of materials such as key holders, posters, cards and leaflets but we still believe there is room for improvement. ”
The field day at Ombandjele, one of the 30 most active villages which were under the care of five TCE volunteers from Switzerland, Hungary, Japan, North Korea and Russia, was called to create awareness among communities.
Held under the theme, “Together We Can Orevent HIV/Aids”, it was also held to bid farewell to the volunteers who have been working in the Omusati Region during the last six months.
They visited villages between Outapi and Ruacana where they offered training in hygiene and prevention of diseases like HIV/Aids, TB, polio and cholera.
One of the volunteers, Patrick Facci from Switzerland who is an economic development instructor, said he was impressed by the high level of awareness among the local communities with regard to HIV/Aids.
“I am very encouraged by the people in Namibia because despite having their own economic difficulties, they have not lost hope to fight for a better future. Their kindness, respect for human dignity and their hope to achieve success really impressed me.
“I am leaving Namibia with a clear conscience in my heart that I have made a contribution toward human development and feel very much enriched through contact with the Namibian natural beauty during my stay here,” said Facci.
The service of volunteers from Europe and Asia is sponsored on a 50/50 basis by non-governmental organisations outside Namibia and DAPP. The TCE Deputy Head, Melody Chipadze from Zimbabwe, said the assistance provided by the volunteers is very effective given the fact that the number of field workers is limited. Presently, there are 112 in Omusati and 78 in Oshana.
Headquartered in Oshakati since 2005, the TCE has 24 full-time employees providing voluntary counselling and assistance to communities in the rural areas.
Field officers are sent out to mobilize the communities through person-to-person intercommunication. Each officer is in charge of about 2 000 people during the three-year campaign. From next year, the TCE will move to another region should funds permit.
Said Chipadze: “This is the first event of its kind called by the volunteers and we appreciate whatever contribution they have made to strengthen our capacity in various fields such as management, computer literacy, the English language, counselling, hygiene and many others.
“We want the spirit of solidarity and cooperation to continue among nations of the world because this is the only way to succeed. We are also encouraging the people who do not know their HIV status to go for voluntary testing.