December 3rd, 2015 by Rachel | Tags: Disability, HIV/AIDS, Peace Corps | No Comments »
In honor of World AIDS Day, which happens on December 1st every year, and International Day of Persons with Disabilities, which is on December 3rd every year, my host organization, Coordinating Unit of Association of Persons with Disabilities, in collaboration with Bamenda Regional Hospital, hosted a PEPFAR-funded HIV testing at the International Day of Persons with Disabilities event. The event took place at the city’s stadium. 101 attendees took the test. 64 of those attendees are persons with disabilities. Other attendees were people who work in some kind of capacity with persons with disabilities such as teachers, interpreters, and personal assistance. According to the healthcare workers who administered the test, seven were tested positive, but they do not know yet how many of those are actually persons with disabilities. The percentage of who were tested positive is in line with the average rate of HIV in the northwest region of Cameroon which is 6.3%. The national average is 4.3%. They will provide more information next week when they have put the statistics together.
Because so few persons with disabilities have access to education, I also gave a brief presentation on HIV Prevention. I shared what are the causes of HIV/AIDS and how it can be prevented.
The International Day of Persons with Disabilities event also included various speeches about disabilities issues in Cameroon and dances by various groups and schools for children with special needs. A delegate for social affairs in Bamenda and other council members were present.
