On Friday April 22nd, 2005, SWA members from the
Nigeria Region participated in a historic AIDS Walk in Abeokuta
which aimed to raise awareness about the epidemic. The AIDS Walk,
which was organized by the Nigeria Region of the SWA, brought
together members from following schools:
- Ogun State University
- University of Agriculture
- the Conscious Moshood Abiola Polytechnic
- Obafemi Awolowo University
- Universal College of Technology
More than 70,000 educational leaflets on HIV/AIDS in three different
languages (Yoruba, Igbo and Hausa) along with 2,000 free condoms
were distributed en route.
The quality of health care in Nigeria has deteriorated dramatically
over the past several years. According to UNAIDS HIV/AIDS estimates
at the end of 2003 in Nigeria is:
| Adult
(15-49)
HIV
prevalence rate |
5.4%
(range:
3.6%-8.0%) |
| Adults
(15-49)
living
with HIV |
3
300 000
(range:
2 200 000-4 900 000) |
| Adults
and children (0-49)
living
with HIV |
3
600 000
(range:
2 400 000-5 400 000) |
| Women
(15-49)
living
with HIV |
1
900 000
(range:
1 200 000-2 700 000) |
| AIDS
deaths
(adults
and children)
in
2003 |
310
000
(range:
200 000-490 000) |
The trip to Abeokuta was a unique opportunity for SWA members
to take action on a grassroots level to battle the deadly epidemic
in their communities.
|
Click here to view more photos of the event
