20 Nov 2018

Acting US Ambassador,  Kali Jones says the message on the Have It All documentary will encourage all to know that they can still live a productive life with HIV/AIDS.

She said this during the screening of Have It All; a documentary on five Batswana living with HIV in Maun recently.

“We think messages shared in this documentary are so important and we want as many people throughout the country to see Have It All as soon as possible.

We want everyone to know that one can have a long, productive life as long as they start medication on time,” she said.

The documentary was created to encourage Batswana to know their HIV status and to enrol for treatment to live long fulfilling lives.

It was produced by the United States of America Embassy through President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) in collaboration with the Ministry of Health and Wellness.

Also, she said HIV infection rates remained high in Botswana with nearly 14 000 new infections per year and about 37 new infections a day.

Some people, she said suffered in silence since they were afraid to test and go for treatment; to share their status with friends, and family or co-workers.

She noted that silence was tragic since it leads to unnecessary loss of life because it keeps people from getting treated on time.

She pointed out that Botswana and America were among many nations around the world, who had joined forces to end the HIV epidemic, but continue to face a number of significant challenges, including stigma and discrimination.

As such, she called for the ending of the epidemic by speaking out about HIV, prevention.

Also, she said Batswana should be inspired by the words of the five champions; Masedi Kewamodimo, Stanley and Pontsho Sekisang, Edwin and Maria, who starred in the documentary

“Let us make sure that everyone knows that we are now in a new era of hope for everyone infected or affected by HIV by ending the stigma that has clung to HIV for so long and let’s all be part of changing the conversation about HIV in this country,” she stressed.

In America, she said conversation about HIV changed when Earvin ‘Magic’ Johnson announced his HIV positive status and pledged to be a spokesperson in the fight against the virus.

“Magic Johnson brought HIV out of the shadows and into the public dialogue.

He brought a sense of normalcy to living with HIV and gave a face to the epidemic therefore Masedi, Stanley, Pontsho, Edwin and Maria are trying to do the same thing for Botswana and I am in awe of their courage,” she said.

She further encouraged Maun residents to take lessons from the cast’s courage and support everyone in Botswana, who had HIV and ensure they test and start treatment immediately so they could stay helthy and also keep others from getting infected.

An American HIV/AIDS activist, Joshua Robbins said HIV was a virus, but stigma was the deadly disease.

Ministry of Health and Wellness - Behaviour Change Interventions and Communications Officer, Kabo Ng’ombe said the documentary was part of the ministry’s communication strategy with the key goal of reaching Batswana with information on knowing that status, accessing services, especially ARV’s enrolment on time.

Ng’ombe said the communication strategy targets those that live with HIV.

“Since we started our documentary, ten-city screening in Francistown, Molepolole, Tsabong and Palapye, the reception was awesome and many have responded positively to the initiative so far,’’ she said.

She said the screening in Maun was also successful adding that they looked forward to the same reception in  Mochudi, Mahalapye, Kanye, Ghanzi and Jwaneng.

One of the audience members, Katlego Mathare from Maun said she learnt a lot and had the opportunity to ask the champions questions, something she said would go a long way in her experience regarding HIV.

“As Batswana we should not be the victims of HIV because we have learnt a lot from this documentary and we are not alone in this fight, as we can see other countries like America who have so far helped us in the fight against the scourge,’’ she said.

Mathare suggested that the documentary should be aired on television and in schools to ensure that the message reaches everyone. ENDS