The Ministry of Tourism, Wildlife and Antiquities yesterday held a Candlelight Memorial event at the National Records and Archives Center in Kampala as part of the Ministry efforts to mainstream HIV/AIDS activities in the workplace and raise awareness on the same.
This is the Ministry’s inaugural commemoration of the international event that started in 1983 in remembrance of individuals who have died from HIV/AIDS and to raise awareness about the AIDS pandemic.
Held every third Sunday in May, the International Candlelight Memorial event is also a platform for advocacy for people affected by the HIV/AIDS scourge. This year’s national event was held at the Uganda AIDS Commission Offices in Ntinda under the theme “Ending AIDS by 2030: Building a Sustainable HIV Response.”
In his speech read by the Under Secretary Goeffrey Sseremba, Hon. Tom Butime, the Minister of Tourism emphasized the need for all Government Ministries, Departs and Agencies, NGOs, Religious and Cultural leaders, Communities, youths, and individuals to commit their efforts to fight against HIV/AIDS.
“The involvement of Political Leaders, Civil Societies, Ministries, Departments and Agencies, Development Partners, Communities and other stakeholders in the implementation of government programmes in the fight against HIV/AIDS is key,” Hon Butime said, adding that his Ministry is in the process of developing the Sector HIV/AIDS Work Place Policy.
The Policy, he noted, will provide a framework for planning, implementing and evaluating the HIV/AIDS mainstreaming in different programmes and projects in the Ministry and Agencies.
The Ministry of Tourism, Wildlife and Antiquities already has a well-established HIV/AIDS Committee comprising representatives from different Departments and Agencies including the Uganda Tourism Board (UTB), Uganda Wildlife Authority (UWA), Uganda Wildlife Research and Training Institute (UWRTI) and Uganda Hotel and Tourism Training Institute (UHTTI).
In the same vein, the Permanent Secretary Ms. Doreen Katusiime reiterated the Ministry’s commitment to integrating 0.1% of its budget towards HIV/AIDS activities which are mainstreamed into the Ministry activities, programmes and projects during the planning and budgeting process.
“HIV/AIDS is considered as one of the crosscutting activities in the Ministry. The Ministry has provided financial support and pledges to continue to providing this support to staff who have declared their HIV/AIDS status,” Katusiime said.
Speaking at the event, renowned advocate for compassion towards HIV/AIDS victims Reverend Canon Gideon Byamugisha, commended the Ministry for taking a step towards bettering the workplace for people living with HIV and contributing to national efforts as Uganda pursues ending HIV by 2030.
Canon Byamugisha noted that the uptake of advocacy by the Ministry of Tourism is timely considering the fact that some of environs of Uganda’s tourism hubs like Fort Portal and Mbarara are posting the highest HIV prevalence.
He called for practical love and “audacious” compassion towards people living with HIV in the workplace.
Canon Gideon Byamugisha is the founder of International Network of Religious Leaders Living with or Personally Affected by HIV and Aids, a Professor of Political Science and an author among his many other huge accomplishments.
National Achievements on combating HIV/AIDS
Through the dedicated support and contribution from different stakeholders especially Uganda AIDS Commission, Line Ministries, Self Coordinating Entities, Civil Society Organizations, Religious leaders and People living with HIV among others, Uganda has registered some achievements in the fight against HIV/AIDS.
Uganda has been able to reduce the prevalence HIV from 18% in the 1990s to the current 5.1%. New HIV infections have declined by 39% and 60% decline since the peak in 1995.
The launch and implementation of the Presidential Fast Track Initiative to end AIDS by 2030 in 2017 helped in accelerating the move towards eliminating the HIV epidemic in the general population with about 26 million lives saved, 2.8% million babies born HIV-free, over 550,000 people receiving pre-exposure prophylaxis to prevent HIV infection.
Uganda has also managed to have over 61% of women, 40% of men, and 1.4 million children living with HIV/AIDS access lifesaving antiretroviral treatment as well as reducing new HIV infections both in babies (from 20 000 cases in 2010 to 5900 cases in 2022) and adults.
The event climaxed with a medical camp that offered free services ranging from laboratory testing for HIV, Hepatitis B, eye and dental clinics, Blood pressure and diabetes check ups among others.