A splash of hope for HIV/AIDS sufferers
You too can contribute to the Splash for Hope Campaign via SMS.
Over seven million people in South Africa are living with HIV with the second biggest killer being TB, announced the chief executive officer of the South African National Aids Council (SANAC), Sandile Buthelezi.
December is dedicated to people and organisations who are fighting against the disease. While some raise awareness of the disease, others raise money to provide treatment for those infected and affected by HIV/AIDS.
A few weeks ago, the Splash for Hope Campaign hosted a fundraising breakfast session. Celebrities like Sello Maake KaNcube from the series ‘The Queen’ was in attendance. He started a foundation called the AfriMAN Rising Campaign.
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KaNcube said, “If a man can get his head together, the world will be a better place. I started this campaign in order to get masculinity right.
“Once men begin to take responsibility for their lives and realise that they are human beings and that their strength is in acknowledging their weakness, this is what gives you a mental strength.”
The Splash awareness campaign was established by SANAC and catalysed by the Joint United Nations Programme on AIDS (UNAIDS) and other partners.
The purpose of the Splash for Hope campaign is to find ways in raising funds for civil society organisations working on the country’s AIDS response and those that support achievement of the National Strategic Plan (NSP) for HIV, TB and STIs 2017 – 2022 goals.
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In the past, these civil society organisations received funding from foreign entities and donors but recently these international donors have changed their focus and many have pulled out to funding HIV programmes.
The result of this is that many organisations are closing down and this too affects the treatment for those in need.
Mlukeki Zazini, the executive director of the National Association of People Living with HIV and AIDS (NAPWA) and an openly HIV infected representative, said, “We are faced with many different challenges.
“There are people who are suffering from this disease in the deep rural areas, but we cannot assist because there isn’t enough money to treat these people. There is treatment in the city but there are people who are going to bed on an empty stomach.
“How do we expect people on treatment to get better if they aren’t even eating correctly?” Zazini added that he has children but he and his partner were responsible enough to make sure that their children were not infected as well.
“There are people who are ashamed about their statuses and are affecting others, therefore it’s important for all donations to the organisation so that we can educate others.
“There are so many organisations trying to fight the disease and the stigma but fail because there isn’t even funding. We believe that funding will contribute to the fight against HIV and that we will all fight it by 2030.”
After the talks and the big breakfast at the Michelangelo Hotel in Sandton, the donations from individuals and companies began.
You too can contribute to the Splash for Hope Campaign by SMS’ing the word HOPE to 36239, SMS’s cost R5.
