759 students urged to beat AIDS – RNA NEWS

Azedine Kirenga (right) and his classmates.

Kicukiro: The Rwanda Biomedical Center (RBC) sensitized 759 students, including 203 girls and 556 boys, all from IPRC Kicukiro, to overcome AIDS. It was Wednesday May 10, 2023 in the afternoon, after another session the day before at Gahanga market.

The means used by RBC in this tour remain a very instructive and attractive theatrical performance, performed in public, as well as messages by RBC executives. A public competition is also organized on knowledge of the fight against AIDS. Winners receive T-shirts, umbrellas, hats, juice, notebooks and pens.

Christian Sentore, 21, is in the 6th Construction Section. He has general knowledge to deal with AIDS, namely continence and fidelity, use of condoms, avoid using the same metal instruments to cut nails and hair (razor blade, scissors, nail clippers, needles, etc…). The same needle should not be used to inject medicine into different people.

An infected mother can transmit her virus to her child at birth. This is why infected mothers, pregnant or breastfeeding, are put on ARV regimens so as not to transmit the virus during birth or during breastfeeding.

Sentore and his colleagues, including Azedine Kirenga, 18, 6th Road Construction, have this knowledge. But unfortunately, they ignore or know badly that in case of rape or unprotected relations, one must go to the Health Center to benefit from an appropriate treatment.

In case of seropositivity, one is subjected to the regime of ARVs. Even if one is tested negative, since one has been exposed to a possible infection, one receives medication to be taken in 29 days. Then we come back for another test.

the Director of IPRC Kicukiro since 2011, Gahama Sibomana François

“The presence of RBC is considered useful to the IPRC Kicukiro, because it raises the level of young people to face HIV/AIDS”, specifies Sentore and Kirenga.

Sentore tested negative in 2022. He is determined to practice continence to devote himself to his studies and prepare for his future.

“Prostitution is on the rise in the capital. It is visible at night. I don’t know the prices. Only those who venture into these risks are informed,” he confides.

Kirenga also wants to finish high school and go on to university.

“When I decide to have sex, I will use a condom to protect myself. I know young girls whose partners are married men who offer them money and various gifts. Their relationships are not protected. This is a serious risk to the lives of many people in such a chain. These married men cheat on their wives. This young girl also exposes the life of her little darling of the same age who has sex with her. Prostitution, as the oldest profession in the world, is visible at night on the roads of the capital. The solution for this group is to wear condoms after testing to find out their status,” Kirenga points out.

For the Director of IPRC Kicukiro since 2011, Gahama Sibomana François, his establishment has an anti-AIDS club which is held every Wednesday afternoon.

“All our students are day students, except those at the University. Parents look after our students for circumcision or ARV cases (which we don’t have here). We have not yet organized voluntary testing for HIV/AIDS. Our pupils have sufficient knowledge thanks to the anti-AIDS clubs which are always active and useful in our school. This meets our objective of protecting our youth,” says Director Gahama.

Young people from the market at the Gahanga Center in the same district of Kicukiro expressed the wish to see the establishment of a kiosk which distributes condoms without interruption. Because, often, these condoms are lacking and their price is high. Unanimously, the youth of Gahanga resort to safe relationships. She understood the importance of putting life first. (END)

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