“Without our intervention, these children will be lost!” – Dr. Manga
The Children Momentum Project of the CBC Health Services has convened and trained Stakeholders in a workshop, on February 22, 2023, at the Nkwen Baptist Hospital Chapel on techniques for combating the spread of HIV in adolescents and ensuring viral load suppression. This training brought together Religious representatives, Community-Based Organizations, Education leaders, HIV Peer Supporters, Clinical Supervisors, and Media representatives.
Welcoming the stakeholders to the workshop, the Deputy Director for Clinical Services at the CBCHS, Dr. Manga Simon called on them to implement all the resolutions arrived at in the training in order to achieve the change that is needed. “Without your intervention, these children will be lost. You are all here because of your direct and indirect involvement in the lives of adolescents, and you are a voice they listen to. I urge you to use that voice to improve their lives by teaching them about their sexual and reproductive health rights, as this will go a long way to curb the spread of HIV and other STIs,” he conveyed.
The Coordinator of the Regional Technical Group for HIV, Dr. Tayong Gladys explained the importance of this workshop in bridging the gap in HIV Care and Treatment in the North West region and Cameroon as a whole. HIV prevalence still remains high in West and Sub-Saharan Africa and children and adolescents are in a worse situation. “Programs such as this are highly encouraged because this fight is not only for the families of the youths. The entire community must come together to fight this virus,” she stated.
In his presentation, the Pediatric HIV Advisor for the CBCHS, Dr. Pascal Nji Atanga analyzed the global statistics revealing the prevalence and control of HIV in children and adults. According to global statistics, every 5 minutes, a child dies from HIV-related causes. Because of the sociopolitical crisis which caused a great mass exodus and modifications to sectors like the educational sector, the North West region witnessed an increase in new HIV infections and a decrease in adherence. Finding ways to effectively reach out to the adolescent populations requires the intentional participation of the stakeholders.
One of the key deliverables of the workshop was for the stakeholders to chart out better ways to ensure that children have access to the right SRH information and adhere to treatment, in order to attain viral load suppression, for those living with HIV.