Call for collective efforts to fight HIV/AIDS in Nagaland

NPA president H. Chishi and others during World AIDS Day prelude prog in Kohima on November 30. (Morung Photo)

Our Correspondent
Kohima | November 30

The need to put collective effort to fight against HIV has been stressed during the observance of World AIDS Day prelude programme here at Kripa D’Block DIC under the aegis of Kripa Foundation Nagaland and Kohima Users’ Network (KUN).

H Chishi, president Nagaland Press Association (NPA) spoke on the occasion as guest speaker and stressed on the need to put collective effort to fight against HIV by involving churches, village council, women and student organizations. He also said that all efforts be made to eliminate stigma, discrimination and insecurities.

Chishi felt that community responses to HIV must be incorporated into state and national AIDS plans, from the planning and budgeting phases, to the execution, monitoring and evaluation phases.

He said that communities are playing a noteworthy responsibility in the fight against HIV, adding that their activism and support have to a great extent influenced the response to HIV/AIDS.

For adolescent girls and young women, communities could support wide-ranging sexual health education, leading the way in respecting their rights to independently access sexual and reproductive health services, he said adding that communities can help target negative social and gender norms that increase the susceptibility of young women.
He said that communities can also play an important  role in holding governments accountable for ensuring that services are accessible to all those who need it.