. Kapata

By FLAVIOR CHISHALA –
GOVERNMENT has commended Evelyn Hone College in Lusaka for partnering with AIDS Healthcare Foundation to expand awareness programmes on the disease among students at the learning institution.
Community Development, Mother and Child Health Deputy Minister Jean Kapata said yesterday that the partnership between the two organisations would enable the students and the community to have access to better health services.
The college was celebrating the Golden Jubilee under the theme ‘Celebrating 50 years of youth empowerment through market responsive training – key to national development’, which coincided with the International Condom Day whose theme was ‘Love is the best protection’.
Ms Kapata said the celebration had come at the right time when the world was commemorating Valentine’s Day and as such, would enable the students to share information and educate one another on the causes and dangers of the AIDS pandemic.
She said the event would help the participants know the impact of HIV/AIDS on social, spiritual, physical and economic aspects of the family and community, and also look at ways of preventing the pandemic as the country was striving to get to zero HIV infections.
“Today as we commemorate International Condom Day, I would like to urge each one of us to work together and conquer HIV in our country.
“The first step to winning this battle is to promote condom use and ensure availability of HIV treatment drugs (ARVS) and free condoms for distribution,” she said.
Ms Kapata said nearly 33,000,000 people in the world were HIV-positive and that the majority of people infected were not aware of their status, hence the need to reiterate the importance of preventing the spread of the virus.
Acting college principal, Ignatius Ndabala said the goals of the college were beyond providing well-trained graduates but to ensure that students adhered to safe sex practices.
Mr Ndabala said the institution also prioritised the health of its members of staff and their families so that they could be effective in their work.