[pronut-hiv] Rwanda: PLWHA Appeal for ARVs

["ProNut-HIV" <pronut-hiv@healthnet.org>]

Rwanda: PLWHA Appeal for ARVs

The New Times (Kigali)

June 21, 2006
Edward K Mwesigye
Southern Province

The people living with HIV/Aids (PLWHA) in Nyamagabe District are
appealing to government to extend Anti retroviral drugs (ARVS) to the
nearby health centers for easy accessibility.

PLWHA made the appeal last week through The New Times in an exclusive
interview with some of the members of the organization.

The treasurer for HIV/Aids forum in the district, Joseph Kazungu, said
that HIV/Aids patients face the problem of long distance to access the
ARVS only available at Kigeme hospital.

"PLWHA move all the way from deep in villages to access ARVS at Kigeme
hospital and yet they are weak. It would be better and more helpful to
residents with HIV/Aids if the government availed the medical services
to the health centers which are available in the villages near the
residents," Kazungu requested.

He added that PLWA needed assistance in terms of food, medicine and
trainings aimed at sensitizing residents on how to live positively with
HIV/Aids. He called on financial partners to extend financial assistance
to PLWHA for income generating projects.

He said, "these people need to be assisted in projects that can enable
them sustain themselves through income generating activities. The
activities will increase their hope for the future and add a day in
their lives otherwise they will be psychologically tortured without
medical facilities."

Esperance Mukandutiye a member of Abavandimwe association of PLWA said
that she joined the association after testing positive to HIV/Aids in
1995 and her life has changed for the better with some assistance from
the association.

She however pointed out that many people in Kamegeri Sector where she
comes from have died due to lack of sensitization on HIV/Aids, with some
alleging to have been bewitched. She added, "people with similar signs
as I had developed before I went for HIV test are many in the village
but they have not voluntarily gone for HIV/AIDS test. The government
should double efforts to sensitize residents on the disease and the
importance of testing. Residents need to be encouraged to live
positively and the government should extend medical services to health
centres in their areas."

Forum for PLWA started in 2003 in the former province of Gikongoro, now
Nyamgabe District. It comprises 71 associations from different Districts
of the Province especially from Nyamagabe and Nyaruguru Districts.