“The Don Bosco Children and Life Mission, located in the town of Namugongo just 10 miles northeast of the city of Kampala in Central Uganda, received funding from Salesian Missions donors to support a Salesian program that helps children living in poverty who are HIV positive,” SDB officials say.
They note that the program “provides educational courses, medical treatment, medicines and nutritional meals for youth living with HIV/AIDS.”
“These youth are also eligible to receive counseling, recreation opportunities, medical observation, and critical ART treatments,” they add.
SDB officials say, “The Don Bosco Children and Life Mission provides more than 140 at-risk boys ages 6-18 access to primary, secondary, and technical education, along with sports programming, youth clubs, guidance counseling, and life skills training.”
“Students also have the opportunity to participate in a variety of extracurricular activities including jazz band, brass band, acrobatics, and programs by Youth Alive Uganda, an organization that works with youth to promote social skills and values,” Salesian officials say in the December 1 report.
(Story continues below)
World Aids Day was established in 1988 to “honor AIDS victims and focuses on prevention and treatment issues surrounding HIV (human immunodeficiency virus) and AIDS (acquired immune deficiency syndrome).”
This year’s theme, “Equalize”, calls on everyone “to work for the proven practical actions needed to address inequalities and help end AIDS.”
Data from UNAIDS on the global HIV response indicates that “during the last two years of COVID-19 and other global crises, progress against the HIV pandemic has faltered, resources have shrunk, and millions of lives are at risk as a result.”
The UNAIDS report indicates that “Young women in Africa remain disproportionately affected by HIV, while coverage of dedicated programs for them remains too low.”
“In 19 high-burden countries in Africa, dedicated combination prevention programs for adolescent girls and young women are operating in only 40 percent of the high HIV incidence locations,” the report further indicates.
Jude Atemanke is a Cameroonian journalist with a passion for Catholic Church communication. He holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Journalism and Mass Communication from the University of Buea in Cameroon. Currently, Jude serves as a journalist for ACI Africa.