Hundreds in Pom walk against AIDS

THE Sir John Guise Drive along Waigani in Port Moresby was a sea of red yesterday as individuals, business houses, churches and non-governmental organisations joined the National AIDS Council Secretariat (NACS) for the AIDS Walk to commemorate the World AIDS Day.
Participants included students, inmates from Bomana’s minimum security unit, members of the PNG Defence Force and Correctional Services (CS), various groups of people living with HIV (PLHIV) and health workers gathered at the Somare Foundation building as early as 6am.
Each group carried their banners showcasing their respective logos and messages reflecting this year’s national theme for WAD “Testim na Tritim – Emi Rait Blong Yu!”.
The walk began at 7am led by the CS band from the Somare Haus, up Sir John Guise Drive onto the Waigani Drive, down Cameron Road and into the Sir John Guise stadium for the main activities.
Participants braved the morning heat to take part in the walk to remember those who had died from AIDS and those currently living with virus.
PLHIV representative Joe Egu made a strong remark that achieving zero HIV infections, zero discrimination and zero AIDS-related deaths was possible for PNG.
He said: “We can do it, we have moved forward and from evidence as a representative of People Living With High Aims in Madang, I have a five-year-old who is HIV negative and my wife is also negative.”
Egu gave his heartfelt thanks to Family Health International, an NGO which focuses on home based care and counselling for PLHIV, which he was one of their clients.
He said he was on his death bed but care and support provided by FHI raised him to be where was now – healthy and strong.
Egu called on international donor agencies to get PLHIVs involved.
He said PLHIV did not want to be used but rather given the chance to contribute meaningfully to the work carried out by these organisations as their response to the epidemic.