World AIDS Day 2020: our largest event yet
Despite the pandemic, MASYAP’s World AIDS Day event drew its biggest audience ever, with speakers on education, health and Islamic values, and free HIV testing.
World AIDS Day is marked on 1 December each year. In 2020 its global theme was “Ending the HIV/AIDS epidemic: resilience and impact”.
As a Muslim-led HIV/AIDS organisation, MASYAP held its own commemoration on Saturday 12 December 2020 at the IQRA Propagation Centre in Blantyre. We asked our speakers to inspire young people about the value of education and to raise awareness of the reality of HIV/AIDS, in particular the social exclusion faced by people living with HIV and how that stigma can be overcome.
Speakers and guests
- Mrs Mariam Idrissah Muhammad, Guest of Honour
- Mrs Shameem Chakwana, MANICA
- Mrs Lone Laja, Chirimba Community Day Secondary School
- Mrs Jennie Makungwa and Mr Daniel Gondwe, Johns Hopkins
- Mrs Shafina Banda, Jamia Islamia Academy
- Sister Miracle Wailesi, nurse, Madina Social Service
Free HIV testing was provided by Sister Hamida Sadick and Sister Bernadatta Ellard of Umunthu Foundation. The event was covered by Radio Islam, TV Islam and the Times Group.
The message
The speakers covered every area of life, from Islamic morals to education and health. The Guest of Honour, Mrs Muhammad, urged girls to go as far as they can in education, because educated women and young people are best placed to understand how to prevent HIV/AIDS, and educated women will not force their young daughters into early marriage.
Despite taking place during the Covid-19 pandemic, it was the most successful event MASYAP has held, with the largest audience to date.
