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| National |
| 16 circumcised under WVI programme |
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by
Stevie Bombeya, 01 September 2003
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19:01:21
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Sixteen initiates from Village Headman Ajusu in the area of Chief Mlumbe in the Southern Region district of Zomba graduated on Saturday after undergoing circumcision at Zomba Central Hospital under a World Vision International (WVI) HIV/Aids programme.
Apart from agriculture, education and health, WVI runs a programme on the fight against HIV/Aids in the area which has seen initiates being circumcised at a hospital instead of the village’s initiation enclosure.
Speaking at the ceremony, assistant regional manager for WVI Assan Golowa said with HIV/Aids threatening to ravage the world, his organisation is advocating against harmful cultural practices that expose male children to contracting the virus.
He said WVI fought to have the initiates circumcised at a proper hospital to avoid the risk of contracting the disease through the use of the same razor blade for all of them.
“Most of the nankungwi or ngaliba (initiation counsellors) use one razor blade to circumcise several children so we approached medical personnel at Zomba hospital to do a professional job that would not expose the young ones to HIV/Aids,” explained Golowa.
World Vision, which donated uniforms, pairs of shoes and skullcaps for the initiates, plans to extend the programme to Mangochi, Machinga and Chiradzulu districts in the South.
Speaking at the same function, Village Headman Ajusu thanked World Vision for embarking on the programme, saying it will help to reduce the number of people infected by the virus.
Last year, World Vision facilitated the circumcision of 33 initiates at the same hospital.
The Village Headman said the number of initiates was low this year because most people did not want their children to go for circumcision at the hospital after false rumours spread that their blood would be drawn by the medical personnel. |
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