While delivering his homily at Christ the King Arua City Parish during activities to commemorate World Aids, Rev. Fr. Andrew Guma Henry of Moyo Catholic Parish Day, encouraged Christians to show compassion and love to those living with HIV and refrain from any form of discrimination. Fr. Guma emphasized that as Christians prepare for the Lord’s second coming, they should pray for those living with HIV to overcome challenges and resist the spreading of the virus.
Addressing congregants at the same event, Donah Aseru, a founding member of the National Association of Women Living with HIV/AIDS (NACWOLA) in Arua, urged Christians and others to embrace and support individuals living positively with HIV.
Having lived with the virus for over 30 years, Aseru encouraged those affected not to hide their status but instead seek counseling and treatment to improve their quality of life. Aseru also called on the public to work collectively toward achieving Uganda’s goal of ending HIV/AIDS by 2030 Uganda, which launched its first national AIDS control program in 1986, was among the first African nations to reverse the tide of the HIV epidemic. The 2020 Uganda Population-Based HIV Impact Assessment (UPHIA) reported that the HIV prevalence rate among adults aged 15 to 49 years stands at 5.5%, with women at 6.8% and men at 3.9%. Arua District, with a population of over 500,000, has an HIV prevalence of approximately 3.2%-URN. Give us feedback on this story through our email: kamwokyatimes@gmail.com
