In-depth: In the wake of the LRA: HIV in Uganda and Sudan

UGANDA: Arming young people in the north with condoms

KITGUM, 29 August 2007 (IRIN In-Depth) - The signs that northern Uganda is returning to life after more than two decades of war are evident in the town of Kitgum, where new shops, hotels, bars and clubs are opening for business.

For the first time in a generation, young people are graduating from college and are able to find jobs in the formal sector. Flush with cash, they are the main patrons of Kitgum's busy pubs, where they down a few beers before heading to the nightclubs to party some more.

That worries a growing number of advocacy groups. They see HIV as the new threat if the peace holds and the north opens up, and have begun to focus on protecting the youth.

The International Rescue Committee, a US-based relief agency that works with refugees and victims of armed conflict, has begun supplying local bars with condoms, and social marketing organisation Population Services International is joining the initiative.

"Even this evening about six people have asked me for condoms. I give them as many as they ask for," said a waitress at a local bar.

James Otti*, who works as a driver for a humanitarian agency in Kitgum, agreed. "We need to have these condoms; we have seen people dying of AIDS and we don't want the same thing to happen to us. We have survived being killed in the war, so we don't want now to die of disease."

The hit-and-run conflict between the government and the rebel group, Lord's Resistance Army, has destabilised the entire region and preventing AIDS campaigns from being fully effective.

Now, the peace talks in Sudan have encouraged some advocacy groups to spread the message beyond the main towns, but "communication is still weak and HIV awareness is generally low in this region, so it is crucial to teach them about the pandemic while giving them condoms," said Olushola Ismail, head of office for the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) in Kitgum.

"The very rural areas, such as those close to the Sudan border, are not yet ready for condom education; many people there still attribute HIV to superstition, but it [the outreach initiative] should be targeted to young, urban adults who can take in the message in its context," he added.

Northern Uganda has the highest HIV prevalence in the country: Kitgum is estimated at nine percent, one and a half times the national average.

*not his real name

kr/oa/he

In the wake of the LRA: HIV in Uganda and Sudan August 2007 C O N T E N T S PDF file  Download this in-depth report 1.10 MB Lead Feature Overview Features UGANDA: Arming young people in the north with condoms UGANDA: Lack of rural health services keeps HIV-positive IDPs in camps UGANDA: A glimpse into the HIV prevention policy of the LRA UGANDA: Traditional ways could be a tool against HIV SUDAN: AIDS education not reaching booming Yei fast enough SOUTHERN SUDAN: Insufficient data hinders HIV programming Photogallery IDPs in Northern Uganda Radio SUDAN: HIV/AIDS - another war to fight in Nuba SUDAN: Crying out for Help SUDAN: HIV/AIDS awareness in Malakal SUDAN: HIV testing kits lacking SUDAN: Children take on the role of parents SUDAN: Breaking the Silence SUDAN: Keeping the Family Together SUDAN: Coping with Loss SUDAN: In the Dark about HIV Links Living with the LRA: The Juba Peace Initiative ART on the frontline Winning the peace: The challenge of AIDS in post-war countries Documentary: The Shadows of Peace: Life after the LRA - September 2006 (14:48 min) IRIN archives In-Depth Feedback PlusNews welcomes feedback. Send your messages to feedback.

Feedback  |  Terms & Conditions  |  News Feeds  |  About PlusNews  |  Jobs  |  Donors

Copyright © IRIN 2011. All rights reserved. This material comes to you via IRIN, the humanitarian news and analysis service of the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. The opinions expressed do not necessarily reflect those of the United Nations or its Member States. The boundaries, names and designations used on maps on this site and links to external sites do not imply official endorsement or acceptance by the UN. Republication is subject to terms and conditions as set out in the IRIN copyright page.