Home Healthcare NGO takes HIV/AIDS awareness to Ikorodu community

NGO takes HIV/AIDS awareness to Ikorodu community

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A non-governmental organisation, Youth Development and Empowerment Initiative (YEDI), has taken HIV awareness to no fewer than 2,000 residents of Ita Oluwo community in Ikorodu Local Government Area of Lagos State, as well as free screening.

According to YEDI, the awareness exercise under its Football Tournament and Medical Outreach also enables the residents to check their blood sugar level, blood pressure, and eyes and also undergo physical examinations.

The NGO said the medical outreach with support from GrassrootSoccer and ExxonMobil organised to mark the 2023 World AiDS Day was to identify individuals who were unaware of their current health status and ensure early intervention and management.

It noted that focusing on rural communities fitted into the theme of the 2023 World AIDS Day tagged, ‘Communities: Leadership to End AIDS by 2030”.

World AIDS Day is marked yearly on December 1, and it is a day set aside to support global efforts to prevent new infections, increase HIV awareness and knowledge, support those living with and affected by HIV and AIDS as well and remember those who lost their lives due to the disease.

The National Agency for the Control of AIDS says 1.8 million persons are estimated to be living with HIV in Nigeria, out of which about 1.63 million are already on the lifesaving medication of Antiretroviral Therapy.

YEDI’s Executive Director, Adeoye Oluwatomisin, in her remarks, said

the NGO was using football for social development because this approach helps the youth learn about HIV and AIDS prevention while engaging in football games.

Oluwatomisin said they were also supporting the efforts of the Lagos State Ministry of Health towards the elimination of HIV and AIDS by the year 2030.

The executive director said, “We are here to provide compressive information to the community about HIV and AIDS, and its prevention.

“We are also providing free healthcare services to people in the Ita Oluwo community. About 1.9 million Nigerians are living with HIV. As we speak, some people don’t even know their status, and some people believe that HIV does not exist.

“So, we are here to create awareness around it, talk about it, and also provide free medical tests for people who are not aware of their HIV status. It’s when they know their status that is when they will not transmit it to other people.

“We use football for social development because this approach helps the youth learn about HIV, AIDS, and prevention while engaging in football games.”

Continuing Oluwatomisin said, “We are also supporting the efforts of the Ministry of Health, Lagos State to help eliminate HIV and AIDS by the year 2030.

“This is our way of collaborating with the government to ensure that we create awareness. That is why we target different undeserving communities like this for our outreaches at each given time.”

She added that those who were found positive would be placed on treatment.

The highlight of the event was a football tournament by teenagers in the community which the executive director said was used to further drive home HIV messages to the residents.

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