Young volunteers fight HIV/AIDS

National and international youth working together

By Amana Mbise

30. maj 2006

“I joined WAMATA Youth Group knowing that I will not receive any rewards in the form of money or any other material benefits. I came to serve and assist fellow youths in the fight against the disease”, says Onesmo Joseph.

In the group he plays a key role in the edutainment programme combining entertainment with an educational message on HIV/AIDS.

Onesmo, however, is conscious over the possibility of the crowds being moved by entertainment at the expense of the message.

“It is possible for youths to take our activities as purely entertaining therefore disregarding the message of awareness. But everything that we do, we do it in the name of raising awareness of the disease. We play drums with a message”.

According to Evelyne Chiwango, a Youth Counselor at WAMATA, the group’s mission is to ensure that all young men and women are involved in the fight against HIV/AIDS in the country.

“HIV/AIDS does not discriminate in its attack and therefore calls for collective efforts in combating it. Our core objective is to make sure that all youths are taken on board the vessel against HIV/AIDS”, she says.

A conscious conviction in the group is that the greatest things in life are not necessarily because of a reward in the form of money but through sheer commitment and perseverance of the few. Those who can go out of their way to give back to the society unconditionally. To them service is the essence of a better society.

However Alex Sponga, who has been in the group for over two years probably had more reason to join. His has a direct experience with the pandemic after one of his parents was infected with the disease.

“I have felt the impact of HIV/AIDS as one of my parents is already infected. I therefore felt a greater need to join others in raising awareness of the disease. I don’t need to be pushed to do this”.

An interesting feature of the group is its local and international representation. Volunteers from all walks of life and social cultural backgrounds convene to lend support to the society. Stephanie Howard is a student from the United States and a volunteer in the group. In her opinion this could probably be the strongest programme in the fight against HIV/AIDS among youths.

“The youth programme is probably the most powerful as it engages people in openly discussing the disease which is largely held to be taboo in most communities. Volunteerism may sound a bit out of place for those obsessed with the demands of materialism and the quest for accumulation of wealth. It however stands out as a sure way of eradicating poverty and a quick drive to the realization of the millennium development goals. Without volunteerism, the fight against HIV/AIDS will not succeed in a region with serious resource constraints. This is the most cost effective way to make a big impact”, says Stephanie.

But who said that volunteerism won’t always pay off? The rewards here are different. The members of the group are a happy lot thanks to the many people they have come across and the amount of knowledge they have gained which might later help them get employed.

Said Kazimoto cherishes the day his mother told him to join the group while he was still in school and now he boasts of a lot of knowledge derived from the exercise.

“I’m a changed person now. I’ve gained knowledge which I would not have received anywhere else for free”, says Said, who has had no problem balancing his secondary education with volunteerism.