IN Andrew Makech’s home village near Rumbek in central South Sudan, few have ever heard of a condom, and broaching the topic of its use is considered taboo.

However, the 35-year-old yesterday joined hundreds in the capital, Juba, to get tested for HIV/AIDS and learn about the use of condoms to combat the disease, in a rare public sex education campaign in a country wracked by six years of war.

The campaign, launched by the Okay Africa Foundation civil group in partnership with the government, came ahead of World AIDS Day today, highlighting that despite the great strides made in raising awareness about the disease around the globe, many are still at risk.

In South Sudan, HIV rates are believed to be low, at around 200,000 people infected in a population of some 12 million.

However, few protect themselves or get tested, and only 10% of those infected are receiving anti-retroviral treatment, said the World Health Organisation.

Makech told AFP that in his village, anyone using a condom is considered a prostitute, and that asking someone to use one is taken as an insult.

At the campaign launch at Kampala University College, demonstrations were held on how to use both male and female condoms – with students listening attentively and taking photos with their mobile phones – and some 5,000 condoms were distributed.

Data Emmanuel Gordon from the Okay Africa Foundation said the campaign was motivated by a lack of awareness on how to stop the spread of HIV/AIDS.

In South Sudan, “the use of condoms is attributed to immorality. When you use condoms, you are immoral. People think the use of condoms is for… going outside your marriage to have sex with someone”.

Chris Isa, who works on HIV prevention at the South Sudan AIDS Commission, said there is a perception that educating youth about sex exposes them to immorality.

“The fact that we don’t talk about sex in this country doesn’t mean it is not happening, so we really need to accept that we need to ‘condomise’ and not compromise.”

South Sudan plunged into war in 2013, two years after gaining independence, and the conflict has devastated the country’s health infrastructure. A peace deal signed in September last year has largely stemmed fighting, but a power-sharing government has yet to be formed.

Isa said HIV prevalence is particularly high in the military, with five in every 100 soldiers testing positive.

If testing is more widely carried out, he said, many more than the 200,000 recorded could be infected because “all the ingredients and the factors for the spread of the virus are evident in our society”. – AFP, December 1, 2019.