by Ndalimpinga Iita
WINDHOEK, Dec. 7 (Xinhua) -- At an entertainment area at a far-flung village in Oshana region in the northern part of Namibia, Gabes Iita, aged 32, picked three condoms from a box placed on the counter of a makeshift shop.
Sitting under a big tree in front of the shop, Iita was delighted by the easy access to condoms. "We have not always accessed condoms easily given that the nearest town is more than 10 km from here," he said on Monday.
The shop owner Silas Jonas said that free condoms have added 'flair' to his shop counter.
"In the past, condoms were sold along on the shelf with the small essential goods such as sugar, salt and canned food. But now villagers get them for free, which promotes better health and more customers to my shop," Jonas said.
Things improved in 2017 following the roll-out of a comprehensive condom campaign implemented by the not-for-profit organization, AfriYan jointly with the Ministry of Health and Social Services and the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) in Namibia, amongst other stakeholders.
Klaivert Mwandingi, president of AfriYan, said that the aim of the 'condomize campaign' was to destigmatize condom use across the country.
"It is not just about distributing condoms in all areas across the country, but culturally and diffidently engage communities to normalize the use of condoms," he said.
According to Mwandingi, through the campaign, implementing partners managed to engage communities in all 14 regions across the country on the use of condoms.
"All efforts are complemented by education on condom use...we want to provide a safe space for key populations and generally give the community members a voice," he added.
Since then, communities have been empowered to make informed decisions about sexual reproductive health.
For Selma Johannes, a young female dweller at the village, gaining the confidence to negotiate with a partner served an advantage.
"In our society women are taught to be submissive in many ways. But through access to information and condoms, I can protect myself better by expressing my views. I have a voice in my health and body," Johannes said.
The efforts also help Namibia, a member of the global HIV prevention coalition to meet international obligations.
Grace Hidinua, program specialist at UNFPA said that the robust condom distribution is one of the pillars for member states under the global prevention coalition, formed to fast track HIV prevention. One of the global indicators related to HIV prevention under the coalition is for Namibia to reduce the new infections by 75 percent.
Meanwhile, Jacques Kamangu, a deputy chief clinical mentor in the Ministry of Health and Social Services, said the Namibian government has adopted new strategies in engaging clients amid COVID-19.
"We are also working closely with local and traditional authorities to ensure that services are provided with precaution at grassroots despite COVID-19 pandemic," Kamangu said.
Namibia has developed a national HIV prevention guideline, and revised national strategic framework to fast track prevention and management efforts to curb further spread of HIV in the country. "We want to reach the stage where the number of new infections falls below the total number of deaths," he said. Enditem
