By Fletcher Chiponda
Nkhotakota, September 15, Mana: Evangelical Association of Malawi (EAM) has revealed it will start implementing a project on HIV and AIDS in Nkhotakota District with its interventions focusing on men and boys from October to December, 2023.
Speaking during project presentation to Nkhotakota District Executive Committee (DEC) members on Thursday, EAM Regional Monitoring, Evaluation, Research and Learning Officer, Henry Bentry Mwalwanda, said the project is targeting men and boys because they are the ones that shun hospital or counseling services the most.
“This project is a faith-based community HIV and AIDS initiative where the evangelical religious body is about to intervene and share awareness information on HIV AIDS through faith community initiatives for men and boys to have access to sexual and reproductive health services,” he said.
Mwalwanda further said most communities harbour men and boys that avoid the opportunity to get help.
In his remarks, Nkhotakota District Council Monitoring and Evaluation Officer, John Manda, described an initiative as a commendable project in as far as male health education and HIV and AIDS interventions are concerned.
He said it was disheartening to see several projects targetingwomen and children, leaving out boys and men. Manda, therefore, expressed pleasure to see institutions like EAMcoming in to balance the interventions so that the entire populace is attended to.
During the three-month project implementation, EAM is projected to spend about K27 million in Nkhotakota District, according to EAM officials.