GYCA - West Africa - Groups - Action Tools

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From:	"Gabriel, ADEYEMO" [ profile ]
Subject:	Fwd: [GYCA] Girl walks 12km for ARVs
Sent:	Apr 17th, 2012 - 07:20:58

	Hey Colleague!!! I got the response below after sending this email yesterday and i am not too happy with it. When will youths stop dieing as a result of failure from our political leaders to keep to their promises...??? So many promises on easy access to ARVs, PMTCT, the 3 zeros and so on..... May her soul rest in peace. ---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: Date: Tue, Apr 17, 2012 at 10:01 AM Subject: Re: [GYCA] Girl walks 12km for ARVs To: "Gabriel, ADEYEMO" Hello Gabriel, Thanks for letting people know about what is still prevailing in our African patriarchal societies today. I personally was touched by that story of Martha but I want to inform you on a sad note that the girl died 2 days after her story was published in the papers. Quoting "Gabriel, ADEYEMO" : Source: New Vision Uganda > Author: Tom Gwebayanga > Link: http://www.newvision.co.ugnews/630207-girl-walks-12km-* > for-arvs.html > > > Hey Guyz!!! > With the look of things in most of our African countries, i doubt if we are > gonna come near achieving a Universal Access by 2015 with all of these > set-backs, discrimination and stigmatization of our fellow humans. > > For the last five months, 17-year-old Martha (not real name) has been a > common sight on the Nabirumba-Kamuli road on her way to pick anti-retro- > viral (ARV) drugs from Kamuli Hospital. > > Her monthly trek began in December last year after her father, a resident > of Nabwigulu sub-county, kicked her out of his home, saying he would not > waste his resources on an HIV/ AIDS patient. > > Left with no choice, Martha left to live with grandfather, 9km farther away > from the nearest health facility. This meant that despite her precarious > health, she had to walk 12km to pick ARVs. > > Marthas plight came to light last Friday at Nabirumba Health Centre III, > where Plan, an NGO, organised a function to mark the World Tuberculosis > Day. We have, in our midst, an AIDS patient, whose parents have dumped. > She walks 12km to and from hospital to collect her ARVs, the Kamuli > district information officer, Joseph Ngobi, said. > > Ngobi said Marthas life was in danger because the grandfather, Nasani > Musengawe, was too poor to provide a balanced diet or food supplements for > the girl, let alone for him. She is sickly because of poor feeding. A > person on ARVs needs to eat foods that are rich in proteins and > carbohydrates, Ngobi added. > > The sight of the frail girl evoked pity as she slowly sat up and struggled > to speak. I have lost hope. Much as I get the drugs, I should have a > balanced diet, which my grandfather cannot afford, Martha said. She said > she loves matooke, rice, meat, chicken and milk but nobody can offer her > such food. > > Martha knew her HIV status in 2002 when she was only eight years old.At the > time, she had been looking after her bedridden HIV-positive aunt. She > dropped out of school in Primary Four when her health deteriorated. > > Her mother died of natural causes four years ago and her father, who has > not remarried, lives with Marthas only brother. Nabirumba LC1 chairman > James Bakulube said Martha could have contracted HIV 10 years ago as she > took care of her aunt. > > > Comments: This kind of article makes the mind bleed because at the point > when one think there are progresses being made in advocacy for Universal > Access, then issues like these pop up and one want to blot out of the whole > thing. I'm so sure our political leaders are not making vain commitments > and promises whenever they engage themselves in meeting. > > Click on the link to read full articles. > > > -- > Many Thanks > Yours' in Prevention Science > > Gabriel, ADEYEMO > Regional Focal Point - West Africa > Global Youth Coalition on HIV/AID (GYCA), a program of the Public Health > Institute > +234-80-6798-7317 \| gabriel (at) gyca.org > www.gyca.org \| www.phi.org > > > > GYCA is a youth-led global network of over 6,500 young leaders and adult > allies working on youth and HIV/AIDS in 173 countries world-wide. GYCA's > mission is to empower young leaders with the skills, knowledge, resources > and opportunities they need to scale up HIV/AIDS interventions amongst > their peers. > > > My United Nations Pledge 2011-2012: "To lend my wit and my strength to the > AIDS Response guiding global youth towards one goal: Zero HIV: Zero AIDS > Related Deaths, Zero New Infections, Zero Stigma" > > - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - > > -www.gyca.org- > > E-Group Webpage (manage your settings, see message archives, etc): > http://groups.takingitglobal.org/gyca > Send a message: gyca (at) groups.takingitglobal.org > Subscribe: gyca-subscribe (at) groups.takingitglobal.org > Unsubscribe: gyca-unsubscribe (at) groups.takingitglobal.org > > > ------------------------------------------- > > * Powered By TIG Groups http://groups.takingitglobal.*org/ > Group Archives: http://groups.takingitglobal.*org/GYCA/messages/ > To unsubscribe, email GYCA-unsubscribe (at) groups.*takingitglobal.org > My subscription settings, GYCA-settings (at) groups.*takingitglobal.org > > -- Many Thanks Yours' in Prevention Science Gabriel, ADEYEMO Regional Focal Point - West Africa Global Youth Coalition on HIV/AID (GYCA), a program of the Public Health Institute +234-80-6798-7317 \| gabriel (at) gyca.org www.gyca.org \| www.phi.org GYCA is a youth-led global network of over 6,500 young leaders and adult allies working on youth and HIV/AIDS in 173 countries world-wide. GYCA's mission is to empower young leaders with the skills, knowledge, resources and opportunities they need to scale up HIV/AIDS interventions amongst their peers. My United Nations Pledge 2011-2012: "To lend my wit and my strength to the AIDS Response guiding global youth towards one goal: Zero HIV: Zero AIDS Related Deaths, Zero New Infections, Zero Stigma"*