President Kabbah Launches Paramount Chiefs' HIV/AIDS Initiative Project
By Marian Samu

HIV/AIDS, the world's most dreaded pandemic of recent times has not only affected a substantial percentage of Sierra Leone's population, but has been seen to be growing. In 2002, 45,000 Sierra Leoneans were said to be living with HIV. This figure has risen today to an estimated 75,000. This alarming rise in the number of infected persons has attracted concern from various levels of the Sierra Leonean society.

The Paramount Chiefs and other traditional leaders have taken the initiative to join hands with government in the fight against the HIV and AIDS. President Ahmad Tejan Kabbah was in Bo on Thursday 4th April and launched the "National Council of Paramount Chiefs/Traditional leaders' HIV/AIDS Initiative-Sierra Leone" at the Bo Town Hall.

Making a statement at the launching ceremony, the Acting Director of the National Aids Secretariat (NAS), Dr. Brima Kargbo, lauded the Paramount Chiefs' Initiative. He said that HIV/AIDS is a dreaded disease that is incurable and that Paramount Chiefs as traditional leaders are very important in getting this message to the people. He emphasized the importance of the three pillars of HIV/AIDS: Prevention, Treatment and Care and that NAS is setting up centres all over the country for voluntary testing. He therefore advised the Paramount Chiefs to encourage their people, particularly women to visit these centres.

Giving an overview of HIV/AIDS statistics in Africa, Dr. Leopold Zekeng, UNAIDS Country Coordinator said that since the 1980s 50 million Africans have been infected with the virus, and 22 million have died, while 12 million children have been orphaned due to parental death as a result of HIV/AIDS, and about 7 million farmers are reported living with the virus in sub-Saharan Africa. In Sierra Leone, he said, the prevalence rate reported recently is under 2%, but noted that although the figure may seem encouraging, it is unacceptable to UNAIDS as countries with the highest prevalence today in Africa started in this same pathway.

While acknowledging their support in the drive to fight the HIV/AIDS pandemic, Dr. Zekeng commended President Kabbah and Vice President Solomon Berewa, and Ministers for taking time off their busy schedule to be present at the occasion. "Strong and Sustained commitment of the leadership at the highest level is a very lethal weapon against the epidemic", he stated. He noted that the recognition and inclusion of our noble traditional authorities in the fight against HIV/AIDS is a strong move by Government which epitomizes a new dawn on the war against HIV/AIDS in this country.

Vice President Berewa who spoke about the importance of the Government's partnership with the traditional rulers in this all important venture described the occasion as a very important milestone. This, he said, is how their government does things.

In his address, President Kabbah noted that the HIV/AIDS prevalence rate is rising because, in spite of the number of deaths and infections, many people among us continue to treat HIV/AIDS as someone else's problem. HIV/AIDS, he said, is not someone else's problem. It is our PEOPLE'S problem, YOUR problem, and my problem because in the war against this deadly disease, there are only two kinds of people. Those infected with the virus and those affected by it. "You and I are affected because we have a responsibility to resolve any problem that leads to death or suffering or deprivation of our people". He described HIV/AIDS a potential challenge that seems to threaten our efforts at transforming our country from conflict to development and therefore requires all sectors of our society to rally together our strengths and capabilities in a common struggle to reverse the spread of HIV infection and contain the impact of AIDS in our society.

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