United Nations reports more than 3 billion young people representing half of the Earth’s population. The 1991 population showed Uganda’s total population between the ages of 10 to 19 years. And more than 6,000 young people between the ages of 15 to 24 are newly infected with HIV.
Adolescence being time for curiosity, adventuring and expanding relationships outside family, puts young people at various risks like; contracting HIV, becoming drug and alcohol addicts and acquiring anti-social behaviors -geared towards testing established rules. Experienced biological, psychological and social changes, if not guided, could be met by community losses due to disease and development lags.
At this stage girls the most attention as they are usually vulnerable to socio-cultural and socio-political stereotyping. They, for example, cannot negotiate condom use, suffer secondary syndrome in decision making, affected more by incidence of school dropping-out and economic dependence on a man as well as the constant failure to control man’s infidelity in a marriage relationship.
Interestingly, many adult men think adolescent are a reliable have for safer sex. But, according to a Zimbabwean study, children born with HIV could survive till adolescent. They (adolescents) could instead be a poisonous mushroom to them.
In the Ugandan study: “positive living, spirituality and resilience among adolescents (16-24 years) living with HIV/AIDS” focusing on Kampala District Health Centers, adolescents were coping well with HIV as good as adults. 77.7% were females and between 23-24 years –representing older adolescents as the most affected. The study showed that positive living, spirituality and resilience played significant roles in HIV+ adolescents’ wellness and health-functioning.
The appealing results were attributed to rise of Pentecostal churches and increased religious practices in the country. Adolescents in one way or the other had an idea about God and were the ultimate answer to their troubles. Spirituality alongside employment or economic wellbeing greatly strengthened HIV+ adolescents’ positive living and resilience with lots of tangible benefits in terms of health improvement, well functioning, consistent hope for health living, happiness and fulfillment of life goals. And with time they would begin to wonder whether really they are infected with HIV/AIDS.
Spirituality had an economic element. No wonder pastors and renowned preachers have overtime added a marketing and commercial touch to preaching. It is no longer John the Baptists humble ministry of Jesus Christ but of God and money. Older adolescents who were working too showed greater attachment to religion and God.
However, the following needed to be either improved or taken into account in designing a suitable environment for HIV+ adolescents. The recommendations about to be outlined would not only health foster wellness in adolescents but adults also could benefit.
- Ensuring client responsibility in disease control and prevention
- Inclusion of homosexuals in HIV/AIDS programmes
- Encouraging and increase Christian and/or Religious and Cultural institutions’ intervention in morality building
- Strengthening equal opportunities programmes or initiatives for both sexes
- Increasing and easing drugs and counseling accessibility at all levels
- Providing employment opportunities to the older adolescent living with HI/AIDS
- Increasing personnel training and deploying them to in-reach health centers (in urban and rural areas)
- Making it a government and community action and responsibility to care for those affected by HIV/AIDS
All in all, prevention proved to be better than cure. Concerted actions must therefore be exerted on ABC as a matter of principle. ABC remains undisputed means to be HIV free.
Henceforth, the HIV free and HIV+ both have options for healthy life. It would be a matter of being there first, and then chose an option best suiting.
Jacob Waiswa, waiswajacobo@yahoo.co.uk
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