Our Blog

Service Yezu Mwiza and ICAP Global Health Burundi organised awareness-raising activities in the provinces of Kayanza and Ngozi on 09 and 10 September 2022, with the aim of informing young people on holiday about pre- and post-exposure HIV prevention and the use of self-testing.

The activities started with basketball game between the INKINGI and CHALLENGE teams in Kayanza province, the INTAMENWA team and NGOZI University team in Ngozi province. During the half-time sessions, Dr Emmanuel IRAMBONA and Dr Bella NIHORIMBERE, all of them working at SYM, had the opportunity to transmit the message related to HIV prevention through pre- and post-exposure as well as the use of self-testing as a means of screening for HIV in Kayanza and Ngozi respectively.

In their HIV prevention messages, there were quiz questions in which 24 young people from each province who answered the questions correctly each received a school kit consisting of four 100-sheet notebooks, four 60-sheet notebooks, four 48-sheet notebooks, four pens, a maths box and a latte.

In Kayanza province, the game  between INKINGI team and CHALLENGE team ended with a final score of 48 to 44 in favor of CHALLENGE team, while in Ngozi the match ended with a victory for INTAMENWA team with a score of 88 to 33 for NGOZI team University.

Executive Director of Service Yezu Mwiza, Father Désiré YAMUREMYE, SJ, delivering a speech in Kayanza province

After the sports activities, the Director of Service Yezu Mwiza, Father Désiré YAMUREMYE, SJ, in his opening remarks, thanked the representatives of the provincial administration for having authorised the organisation of these activities in their provinces. He indicated that these activities were organized in order to sensitize adolescents and young people on holiday on HIV prevention, but also to give them advice on how to behave once they arrive at school.

The representatives of the provincial administration in the two provinces (the Governor of Ngozi and the Chief of Cabinet of the Governor of Kayanza), warmly thanked Service Yezu Mwiza and ICAP Global Health for having chosen to organise these activities in their provinces. They also urged the young people on holiday, who were about to go back to school, to take into consideration the advice received during these sensitisations.

SYM Executive Director with the Governor of Ngozi presenting awards to INTAMENWA team

It should be noted that the winning teams "CHALLENGE" in Kayanza province and "INTAMENWA" in Ngozi, each received a cup in addition to an envelope, a basketball and school kits, received by all teams.