Time: 12:45 - 14:15
Venue: MH4
Reporters: MBABAZI Jeannette and GASENGAYIRE Aliane

Sage Semafara from Rwanda. The Strategic Investment Framework,published in 2011, identifies community responses as a “critical enabler“. The critically important work to make the needed progress with the HIV response and implementing a Fast-Track approach will require broadening the reach of services, supporting retention in care, Increasing demand, monitoring the quality of care, advancing human rights and combating stigma and discrimination. These will require a strong community voice and presence. The theme of this year’s World AIDS Day “Communities make the Difference” recognizes the essential role that communities have played and will continue to play in HIV response at the international, regional, national and local levels.

The role of local community leaders in HIV response is to reduce HIV new infections, reduce HIV/AIDS related morbiding and mortality, ensure human rights of people infected and affected by HIV, and empower community members to grow as a support network. Communities are becoming resilient though different challenges are still there faces Africa. These include poverty, ignorance, funding decrease, donor dependency among others .this all presented by.

SINDAYIGAYA Mussa from Rwanda discussed about how people should be engaged to take decisions. He stated that sin is always sin but in Rwanda, churches advice their members to have self-control as the first choice and after to use condom in order to protect their life and reduce sexually transmitted diseases.