The Uganda Network of Young People Living with HIV (UNYPA) is set to hold a beauty pageant to raise awareness for children living with the scourge.
According to Cynthia Kyofuna, UNYPA’s publicist, HIV/AIDS remains a significant challenge in Uganda with more than 1.2million people living with it and over 2 million more having died of the same.
“While we have made great achievements, there are still several bottlenecks that we need to jointly address including; reversing the 83,000 new HIV infections every year the majority of which are among young people especially girls,” she says.
It is against this background that UNYPA is organising the Y+ Pageant, an annual unique campaign that is geared towards ending stigma and discrimination. This year’s installment is under the theme, ‘Confronting HIV with Bold Steps.’
“We do this by empowering young people with knowledge and advocacy skills that enable them to lead the fight against the stigma. Young people are stigmatized by their guardians, potential employee, and the general public. This, in the long run, affects their uptake of HIV services at health facilities, their adherence to drugs, and depression from fear to disclose,” Kyofuna notes.
This year Y+Pageant will begin with regional auditions at health facilities in Wakiso, Apac, Iganga, and Rukungiri districts followed by a boot camp where all training on advocacy, life, and hands-on skills will be given and finally, the Grand Finale that will be held on November 24, 2018, where the overall outstanding ambassadors will be crowned.
“It is important to note that the pageant doesn’t seek to crown the most beautiful young person living with HIV/AIDS, but rather the brave, open-minded, and passionate, young people who later support fellow young people to meaningfully engage and participate in programmes regardless of their HIV status,” Kyofuna adds.