The Uganda Network of Young People living with HIV/AIDS (UNYPA) has today launched a mini condom campaign aimed at increasing the demand and use of condoms among young people in a bid to curb unintended pregnancies, new infections and spread of STIs and STDs.
This campaign is going to be implemented in the districts of Kampala,Gulu Yumbe, Isingiro, Namayingo, Bududa, Katakwi,and Amudat under the theme “promoting increased condom demand and effective utilization among young people in Uganda”.
The campaign will mobilize civil society organisations,community champions and key stake holders in empowering young people from different grassroots communities and improve service delivery for condoms and addressing related HIV/AIDS and sexual reproductive challenges faced by young people.
The organisation through this campaign will also address misconceptions about condoms, capacitate young people with skills for negotiating for safer sex and provide information on correct condom use as away of preventing increased cases of teenage pregnancies in the country which stand at 25% and new HIV infections estimated at 1000 per week in Uganda.
The campaign has been launched at Serena hotel today while also launching the Y+ beauty pageant a concept developed to celebrate beauty with zero stigma and zero discrimination together with having zero new infections and having zero AIDS related deaths.
While launching this campaign Karus Kiragu the UNAIDS country director urged all people to always use condoms as the only solution for stopping the spread of HIV AIDS.
According to the ministry of health, the number of Ugandans who get infected with HIV increased from 50,000 in 2016, to 51,000 last year.
Dr. Joshua Musinguzi, the head of the AIDS control program at the health ministry says a third of the new infections were mostly registered among adolescents and young women aged 15-24 years.
