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TZ immigration department up in arms against HIV/Aids
2006-07-19 09:24:10
By Correspondent` James Pius
The word AIDS is now a common feature to everybody, from ten-year old children to old people, known as a dangerous decimating disease, including the learning strata and youth who are the nation’s manpower.
It is AIDS which has seen our economy slumping as families are burdened by other chores for taking care of orphans and widows, while the government loses a chain of experienced workers and keeps on replacing them.
Such a situation has led government and non governmental institutions, including religious and personal moves to battle this disease with every resource available.
The Immigration Department is one of the institutions heavily affected by the disease as it has lost a huge number of its staff at border posts, airports and many centres to AIDS.
These include staff at the Mwalimu J.K. International Airport, Kilimanjaro International Airport, and border posts in Tunduma, Mbeya Region and Namanga, Arusha Region.
In trying to arrest the situation the department has been using workshops and seminars to mobilise its staff and alert them on the dangers of the disease.
Pamphlets are one of the means now used by the department to drive messages to its officers and customers on both the Mainland and Isles.
The Coordinator of AIDS Control in the department, Salome Kahamba says they have decided to use such means as it was not possible to reach every member of their staff through seminars and other exercises.
’’We believe pamphlets will educate our workers on HIV. This includes customers served at our offices throughout the country,’’ she said.
She adds that they have four types of pamphlets in circulation whereby the first is aimed at educating the department’s staff, while the second is aimed at its customers, the third at foreigners entering Tanzania and the fourth target is the department’s officers at special border posts.
She said most of her staff are prone to infection as they deal with many foreigners and hence, those who are overridden with sexual lust find themselves engaging in unsafe sex thereby contracting the deadly virus.
Likewise, she said the pamphlets are aimed at warning foreigners entering this country on the dangerous situation emanating from the disease almost everywhere.
’’It is true that AIDS has spread to every corner of the world though at different scales, that’s why we place the pamphlets on our office counters to let foreigners realise the truth and take the necessary precautions,’’ she said.
Dwelling on the seminars, she said they had brought immense positive behavourial changes in the department as the number of deaths had gone down though they were not aware of members of staff who were living with HIV.
’’Since the General Director of the department, Kinemo Kihomano, formed the AIDS control committee in 2003, mobilisation of our staff has brought a spirit of understanding the disease,’’ she says.
Behaviourial changes include cessation of having sexual relations among members of staff and stopping of sexual habits which could lead to one being infected.
Juma Topea, one of the department’s staff hails the use of pamphlets as it obviates problems between those who attend seminars and those who do not, as the former are provided with cash while attending the same.
’’There is the notion that those who attend seminars are subjects of favouritsm while those who do not, look upon them as worthless items at work and hence, one those from seminars are back they get no cooperation from their colleagues in workplaces as everybody wants to attend the said seminars which are meant for all and not only those who attend,’’ he said.
However, Topea added that it was imperative for the pamphlets to be read. They should not be collected in order to be used to wrap some items back at home.
Amina Mrope, one of the customers, who had gone to the offices to finalise the process for a passport to China on a sports mission, said she would take the pamphlets with her on the journey to keep her alert of the killer disease.
’’You know, we as youth are prone to forgetting warnings quickly, so carrying these pamphlets with me, may act as a reminder on how to play it safe,’’ Amina said.
Benson Otieno,a young man who had four of the pamphlets said they are the best means of mobilisation as very few people have access to newspapers, radios and TVs.
He stressed that it was easy for anybody to read the pamphlets and get the message.
Benson, who is Kenyan, said once he got back to his motherland he would impress upon the immigration department in the country to imitate what its counterpart in Tanzania was doing.
’’I will read these pamphlets and later try to convince my fellow countrymen to do what is done here as we are highly affected by AIDS,’’ said Benson who identified himself as a businessman, commending the major languages used in the pamphlets which are Swahili, English and French.
A member of staff, who preferred anonymity, said the pamphlets were not as effective as the seminars.
’’Not everybody has the time to read the pamphlets, but I believe seminars are more effective as they are a direct item of communication.
People may pick these pamphlets and later throw them away because I think they cannot convince one to change his/her behaviour, but a seminar would definitely do so,’’ he said.
He added that with the pamphlets around, seminars and advice sessions coupled with peer education should continue as he is convinced that such means have been effective in bringing about positive change in his department.
Commenting on the pamphlets preparations, Salome says their publication and distribution throughout the country would cost Tsh. 812 million if every district and regional office, including special posts of KIA, and Mwalimu J.K. International Airport of Dar es Salaam would receive them.
She called upon all heads of the respective departments to supervise their distribution and those who have already undergone seminars on advice and peer education to help in further mobilising their staff against the disease.
The pamphlets programme was recently launched by the department’s General Director, Kinemo Kihomano.
She said the programme was run in cooperation with Tanzania Multisectoral Aids Project (TMAP), under the Tanzania Commission for AIDS (TACAIDS) and the funds for the pamphlets came from TMAP.
Talking on other successes of the committee, Salome said each department has its special day for AIDS known as Immagration Aids Day which is marked every November a month before the International AIDS Day which is commemorated on December 1st.
Other achievements include running of seminars with the staff’s spouses and training of AIDS advisors and peer education trainers for every region throughout the country.
Salome said the pamphlets are already in distribution throughout the country, on both Mainland and the Isles.
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