KIKWETE TO GRACE WORLD AIDS DAY 2013 IN DAR

                His Excellency Jakaya Mrisho Kikwete

By Nasser Kigwangallah

WORLD Aids Day (WAD) is held on 1 December each year and is an opportunity for people worldwide to unite in the fight against HIV, show their support for people living with HIV and to commemorate people who have died.

This year, WAD commemoration will be held at national level in Dar es Salaam from November 25^th, 2013 with various activities, including the work of NGOs and it will culminate on December 1^st  , 2013.

According to Jumanne Isango, the TACAIDS (Tanzania Commission for Aids) director of Advocacy and Information the colourful event will be graced by His Excellency the President of the United Republic of Tanzania, Jakaya Kikwete.

The seminar on the scale of the pandemic in Tanzania will be held from 28^th to 29^th November, 2013 at the Mwalimu Nyerere International Conference Centre.

Around 100 participants are expected to attend and it will be inaugurated by Honourable William Lukuvi, the Minister of State, Prime Minister’s Office; Policy, Coordination and National Assembly.

The theme of this year is: “Getting to zero; Zero new HIV infection, zero stigma and discrimination and zero death related to Hiv/Aids”

The theme aims at highlighting various strategies of preventing new HIV infection nationally.

Ustadh Musa Mkama, an old man at Pugu ward mosque lamented recently: “As I go out and see the people that are lying on the mats, that are sick; a couple of things strike me: One is the most urgent people group to reach are those who are about to enter eternity, those who are about to close their eyes in death.”

He said it doesn't get more important, more vital, more real than this. When people are in pain, are suffering, there's a difference that you can make by caring, by just encouraging, just by being there.

He added that when he visits people, he prays that God will be with me to give me the words to say to be able to touch their hearts, to be able to touch their minds, to reach them and to share with them about their predicament.