Mandeville, Jamaica…[Rhoma Tomlinson/IAD Staff]
As the world prepares to recognize World AIDS Day tomorrow, December 1, students, faculty and staff from Northern Caribbean University (NCU) in Jamaica have already begun commemorating the special occasion. Just under 9,000 people in Jamaica are living with AIDS, according to the Ministry of Health. It is estimated that approximately 2,100 are unknowingly carrying HIV.
NCU students, faculty and staff marched into the town of Mandeville on Monday, Nov. 28, to heighten AIDS awareness, encourage the support of persons living with the disease and promote dialogue on the government’s policy on HIV/AIDS. The march kicked off a full week of activities which will continue through Friday, Dec 2., including a Monday church service at the Waterloo Pentecostal Church in St. Elizabeth.
The march, which was followed by an afternoon program and concert held under the theme “Stop Aids, Keep the Promise” was held in association with the Ministries of Health and Education. A number of government representatives, NCU administrators and students from schools and youth clubs across the parish, joined the institution for the program.
“If you have HIV/AIDS, no one should discriminate against you,” said Audrey Brown, Regional Behavior Change Communications Coordinator at the Ministry of Health. “You have the right to housing, jobs, health care and especially medication. If you can’t afford to pay for the drug, you must be able to get it free of cost”.
“If persons do not come forward as victims of the disease out of fear of being discriminated against, the spread will continue as persons keep silent,” she said.
The Mayor of Mandeville, His Worship Desmond Harrison, who spoke at the function following the march, said, “HIV/AIDS is not only a health problem; it is a developmental issue that affects the social, cultural, political and economic fabric of the nation”.
“We are all in this together and as such persons are being asked to do the little that they can to stem the spread of the disease”, he continued.
Meanwhile, Vice-president of Student Development at Northern Caribbean University (NCU), Mrs. Gloria Roberts, said that the battle can be fought if individuals put value on themselves. She said self-worth can play an important role in stemming the tide, and persons should learn to make good choices and wait for the right time to engage in sex. She encouraged male students “to protect the females,” as statistics show that females between the ages of 10-19 years have three times higher risk of HIV infection than their male counterparts.
All fourteen parishes are affected by the disease with Kingston, with St. Andrew and St. James accounting for almost 70% of all the reported cases, 59.6% of them male. AIDS is the second leading cause of death in children 1 to 4 years old. For every 1,000 pregnant women in Jamaica, 16 are infected with HIV. About 93% of the reported cases have died.
The march was supported by other tertiary institutions in Mandeville and the Mandeville public. The presentations were interspersed with creative performances by NCU and the Catholic College of Mandeville students. The evening ended with a candlelight vigil and the singing of the song “Light your world” lead by Jamaica’s Health Ministry.
