By Oluseye Ojo
The lack of comprehensive reproductive health education in Nigeria is leaving millions of young people at the risk of contracting sexually transmitted infections like HIV/AIDS, according to a recent report from HACEY, an NGO.
Programme Lead of the organisation Mr Bamidele Oyewumi emphasised the importance of educating young Nigerians about their sexual health to prevent the spread of HIV.
Speaking at the Access Bank Lagos City Marathon, held recently at the Volleyball Court, Teslim Balogun Stadium, Surulere, in partnership with HACEY, Oyewumi highlighted the need for more young people to know their HIV status in order to protect themselves and their loved ones.
The theme of this year’s marathon was ‘Run to End HIV,’ with the goal of reaching one third of the runners to provide free HIV screening and information about the disease.
Oyewumi stressed that sexual activities are on the rise in Nigeria, but reproductive health education is not keeping up with the demand.
The NGO, according to him, is working to educate young people about the risks of HIV/AIDS and how to prevent its spread through testing and awareness campaigns.
Oyewumi stated: “While sexual activities are on the increase, the reproductive health education is not meeting up with the numbers. So, we are using this means to sensitise the people on how to stop the trend. Getting tested is the first step in taking control of our health and preventing the spread of HIV.”
“For this year, we are in partnership with the organisers of the marathon to provide and implement a free HIV screening for the marathoners. One of our major goals is to ensure that one third of the marathoners know their status.
“The theme of this year’s race is`Run to End HIV’ because according to available statistics, HIV/AIDS is growing rapidly among young people because of their increasing sexual activities. The programme would target over 85 per cent of the runners providing them with first hand information on how to combat the spread of HIV/AIDS.
“We want the larger percentage to get tested to know their status and arm them with information about everything they need to know about the deadly disease HIV/AIDS.
“People need to know how they can also contract HIV/AIDS apart from sexual activities, of which includes blood transfusion, blood screening, inappropriate handling of sharp objects among others.
“We also supply materials containing information about HIV/AIDS for information about all they need to know. Those with HIV/AIDS are sometimes more healthy if they follow their health regime properly.
“HIV/AIDS positive people can participate in the marathon and we even want to encourage them to run, because they are sometimes healthier than those that are negative because of their antiviral drugs that they are using.”
Marathoners, who participated in the HIV screening campaign, expressed their gratitude for the opportunity to know their status and take control of their health.
One of the marathoners, Edjuto Richard Ovie, shared that he never thought he would get tested, but now feels empowered to take care of himself. Also, Lateef Ramon commended the organisers for breaking down the stigma associated with HIV/AIDS testing.
The Executive Director of HACEY, Rhoda Robinson, thanked supporters for their contributions to the HIV/AIDS testing campaign, reiterating the importance of confidential testing and access to information to help young Nigerians protect themselves from HIV/AIDS.
“I am so proud of the work that our members have done, and I am confident that we will be able to make a real difference in the fight against HIV/AIDS,” she said.