TWS||Nick
Waigwa
{Long
article alert}
HIV/Aids
is one of the major post-independence public health concerns and
cause of death that the new Republic of South Sudan has to address
immediately.
A
report on HIV/Aids Published in the South Sudan Medical Journal in
August 2011 approximated that 3 in every 10 people in South Sudan are
HIV Positive.
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| South Sudanese Radio Presenter Immaculate Night of Torit's Radio Emmanuel |
Radio
awareness programs on HIV/Aids have been bearing positive fruits with
reports indicating that more people are currently than ever before
turning up for Voluntary Counseling and Testing Services.
In
central South Sudan sits Lakes State, one of the 10 states of the New
Nation. I recall a Government
official in Lake State telling a meeting of HIV and Aids Awareness
Stakeholders, who had gathered at the Ministry of Health in Rumbek in
year 2011 that over eight thousands people had turned up at Voluntary
Testing Centers (VCT) and Health clinics to test for HIV and AIDs
between January and August 2011.
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Mr.
David Deng Yak who was then the Director in charge of HIV and AIDs in
Lakes State’s Ministry of Health, disclosed during the meeting that
majority of those who had turned up for testing were women most of
whom were expectant mothers.
This
positive increase in the uptake of VCT services has been attributed
to among other factors, continued awareness on the benefits of going
for Voluntary Counseling and Testing Services. Awareness initiatives
have gone beyond workshops and announcements previously posted in
some public areas.
The
few media outlets in the emerging Republic of South Sudan media
industry have become very active awareness tools reaching a wider
audience with messages on HIV/Aids.
Radio
Good News in Rumbek is one of the nine radio stations operating under
the Sudan Catholic Radio Network (SCRN). The community radio, owned
by the Catholic Diocese of Rumbek went on air in January 2010 and
covers a radius of 150 kilometers, reaching a population of about six
million people in parts of Lakes, Warrap and Western Equatoria
States.
The
Rumbek based radio has since inception boosted the fight against
HIV/Aids through her awareness radio messages. The management of the
radio which broadcasts mainly in the local Dinka language and English
admits that their radio awareness campaigns have recorded success
stories.
Members
of staff also confessed of having resolved to check their HIV status
after participating in the production process of the programs on
HIV/Aids. Listeners also witnessed to the fact that radio messages
aired on radio inspired them to go for HIV testing.
Daniel
Juma’s Story
“It
came to my mind that I was not leading by example, if I am hosting
people from the Aids commission or Aids departments and I am also
telling the listener out there to go for testing yet I am not going
for the test myself." DJ
Daniel
Juma Maydodo a 30 year old South Sudanese from Makor village in the
Wulu County - Lakes State says his dream of becoming a Journalist
came true in April 2011 when he joined Radio Good News as a trainee
Broadcast Journalist.
He
went for his basic education at the age of 13. Instability in South
Sudan made it difficult for Juma to go to school at an early age like
most children. This did not deter him from walking the path to his
career ambition. He is among the few South Sudanese who had a chance
of going for quality education outside South Sudan.
He
spent most of his teenage years in Mbarara Uganda. Today he is happy
to witness what was once just but a dream, taking shape, a blossoming
independent South Sudan. He doubles as a News reporter and presenter
for Radio Good News’ morning and evening talk shows.
In
June 2011, Daniel Juma aired several programs on the importance of
VCT services as a key intervention against HIV/Aids. He had not by
this time considered going for HIV testing but something just came to
his mind urging him to go for the test and lead by example.
“This
kept me guilty for a while and the last decision I took was to go for
testing and see how hard or easy it is, outside there before I
continue telling my listener to go for the test. It was not easy for
me but I noticed that one has to be courageous and the outcome should
not discourage anyone from doing anything.”
Said Juma
The
radio presenter agrees that the instrument of radio played an
instrumental role in encouraging people to go for HIV testing
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| Radio Studio |
Emmanuel Thon Mading’s Story
Emmanuel
thon Mading now 24 years old. Tested for the first time when he was a
primary eight pupil at Ager Gum Primary school in Lakes State. She
also took the challenge to go for Voluntary HIV Testing following a
Radio campaign on the importance of testing as an intervention
against the spread of the HI Virus.
He
was among the many listeners who followed the Ayuec Banyic Drama
series. In addition to testing he also used messages contained in the
Drama to encourage his relatives and friends to go for testing
“One
of the most important programs that Good News airs is “Ayuec
Banyic” – “I want to know. This program offered a lot of
information to the people in the village including myself; it taught
us on how to protect ourselves, the importance of going for HIV
testing including how to take care of people living with HIV.
Although
it was not easy to take up the test, Mading noted that he remained
confident that God was to stand by him and enable him to accept the
test results
“If
you saw me when I was queuing for the test you would be annoyed
because my heart was beating, but I prayed to God that I accept the
results and I said if I am negative I should have to keep on
protecting myself, if I happen to be positive I go for the
appropriate medication and live longer because when one is not sure
of his or her status cannot live long”
Emmanuel
remains grateful to Good News Radio for the informative programs. The
first born son in his family disclosed that his father, a medical
doctor and the rest in his family are happy that their son tested
negative.
“people
in my area have also gone for the test including my parents and we
are all negative, we have been advised by to maintain our status and
I am determined to abstain until I get married because I am still
very young now. I thank Good News Radio because after the test I felt
like someone who is in a very big position, I am confident that even
if I were to die today it would not be of HIV/Aids. My family in the
first place they did not understand why I was very happy on the
evening I went home after the test, but I announced to them that you
son is free of the killer disease and they are very happy for what I
have done”
Emanuel
madding has from the time he went for the test continued to teach
people in his village on how to protect themselves from contracting
the HI virus. He also encourages them to go for VCT.
"Transformed Me Olepolos Field Day Excursion for Form 4 leavers, College & University Students"
"Transformed Me Olepolos Field Day Excursion for Form 4 leavers, College & University Students"
Prisca
Achol’s Success story
It
is in South Sudan’s Akol village, Lakes State where I met Priscah
Achol. She is currently furthering her studies at a university in
Kenya.
When
I spoke to Achol on her first encounter at a VCT center, she began by
saying that it has been difficult for her to grow up to the full
realization of her potential, in an environment where girls are “only
there to be seen and not to be heard.”
She has however amid this challenge, managed to go against many odds,
including attempts to have her married off at the age of 14, as well
as going for HIV testing amid high possibilities of stigmatization.
The
face and determination of the outspoken lady, painted a clear picture
of hope for the South Sudanese woman. Achol went to Pancuai girls
Primary School in 1999 before transferring to Makur Agar Comboni
girls Primary school in 2004, where she sat for her Kenya Certificate
of Primary Education, emerging second with a B+
Advised against Letting Bad Behaviors Destroy their Path to a Meaningful Future
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| The instrument of radio is a powerful tool for Development in South Sudan |
“I
thought of going to Kenya to get the best education, I could not also
study here because we have that culture where after you are through
with your primary education they can marry you off to an old man, so
I also went to Kenya to escape that situation because I never wanted
to get married at the age of 14”
The
fact that her parents were still determined to have their daughter
married, did not stop Achol from persuading her uncle, who was then
living in Kenya to buy in to her idea of studying in Kenya. She also
went on to convince the uncle, to request her parents to let her go
to Nairobi. The uncle also managed to get a friend in the United
States of America to sponsor her niece’s high school education.
In
Kenya, Priscah Achol was admitted to Sunrise Girls High School,
Kiambu in 2006. She later transferred to Nakuru’s Shiners Girls
Secondary School in 2008 at the height of Kenya’s post-election
violence, for fear of attacks by members of a local community.
Violence broke out in the Kenya following the disputed results of the
2007 presidential elections.
Miss
Achol went on with her high school education uninterrupted and sat
for her Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) in 2010
following which she returned to South Sudan. It was in her plans to
return to Kenya to join a university but the parents refused arguing
that she could still get married and continue with her education.
“My
parents did not want me to go for studies again, I wanted to go back
and complete my university there but they refused, that is why I am
here they were telling me that I could complete my university when I
am with my husband. I just told them it’s okay whoever will come I
will marry him but then I know how to handle it. Instead of arguing
with parents you just accept and then you will know how to go about
it like nowadays you cannot marry a person who does not love you so
those who are there I can’t even show them that I don’t love them
but there some ways I will just follow to let them leave me alone”
On
returning to South Sudan from Kenya Priscah Achol found that a man
who had expressed to her parents the interest of marrying her was
still waiting.
“There
was one even when I was in class seven but then my mom insisted that
I should first complete my primary education. When I left for Kenya
he was told to wait for four years, which he did and when I came back
we had issues though I don’t want to tell you more about that….okay
he came back actually and he was like he wants to continue with
whatever he had in mind but I told him I was going for further
studies so from there we disagreed”
For
about five months, Priscah’s parents continued banking the thought
of having their eldest daughter getting married off. Within the five
months she remained at home, pensively waiting for God’s
intervention and providence.
“I
stayed at home for five months, they could not let me go anywhere
whether to go to school or to look for a job. They just wanted me to
remain there and prepare for marriage. I just stayed at home waiting
for God to open a way for me”
When
the five months were over, Priscah approached her mother with a
proposal that she be allowed to go college. Her mother accepted the
suggestion and in July 2010, Prisca left for a course in Business
Administration in Kampala Uganda. It was unfortunate that she had to
drop out from college after three semesters when the person who was
paying for her tuition fees decided to withdraw under unclear
circumstances.
In
April 2011 Priscah Achol joined Good News Radio, as a trainee News
Reporter and Presenter. At the radio she was in a team of local
staff, who benefited from a one year in-house radio journalism
capacity building program.
She
is grateful to God that her persistent battle with cultural waves,
and other forms of discouragements, has not been in vain. Other than
working at Good News Radio, she worked as an administrative office
secretary, to the clerk of the Lakes State Legislative Assembly.
The
opportunity for working at Good News Radio opened a door of
opportunities to Priscah Achol, including an exposure to many topical
issues that she would have otherwise not been able to access. She has
been able to go beyond presenting news, to covering and preparing
programs on different subjects including HIV/Aids.
In
early October 2011 Achol, was invited by the South Sudan Aids
Commission to cover a public Voluntary Counseling and Testing
activity in Rumbek Township. The people she found queuing for the
test were mainly young boys, girls, urchins and some drunken men as
well as other people who would occasionally be spotted idling in the
market. To Achol this was disappointing.
“when
I looked at them I felt motivated to undergo the test, though I had
gone there for a different mission - to cover the event, the attitude
towards the test moved me to test and try to remove the
stigmatization in the society because if you only have those
perceived as lowly in the society only to be tested, people might
start thinking that AIDS only affects the poor and not the rich”
It
was also not lost to Achol that working at Good News radio
contributed to her decision to undergo the HIV test. An invitation to
cover the HIV testing activity came in because of her position as a
news reporter at the radio.
Health
programs produced at Good News Radio, coupled with her involvement in
the production of programs on HIV/Aids in both English and in the
Local Dinka language was also another motivational factor worth
mentioning.
Although
Achol was very sure that she had not exposed herself to the HIV
virus, she knew well, that one could get infected through other ways
and decided to remain psychologically prepared for the outcome of the
test. The Second edition news presenter at Good News Radio is
currently waiting for her second test in three months.
Priscah
Achol’s future plan when I interviewed her in 2011 was to pursue a
degree course in Mass Communication preferably in Kenya. Her dream
has been to develop a rewarding career in the media industry and get
to heights of her role model a Kenyan international journalist BBC’s
Sophie Ikenye.
Achol’s
decision to join Good News Radio was met with opposition from people
who felt that it was risky for her to take up a formal job. The
argument was that she would not have enough time to cook for her
family members and that it would be unacceptable for a lady of her
age to get home late in the evening.
Often
regarded as a no nonsense lady by her colleagues at Good News Radio
Miss Prisca Achol believes that the male dominated culture in South
Sudan will gradually be transform to accommodate women and their
voice in all spheres of life.
Priscah Achol's parting message to South Sudanese youth “if
you want to do something, you have to do it despite the challenges or
opposition from other people. You should not be discouraged by what
people say, do what your heart desires and be the best that you can”
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