'Men who circumcise are heroes'

"I have some friends who have lost their fathers due to HIV/AIDS. I have also been told that men who circumcise increase their chance of not dying from the disease. I am therefore calling upon all men to circumcise, I don't want more orphan friends because I see the difficulties they are going through and it makes me cry. Men who circumcise because they want to live for their children are my heroes."

This was said by Jasper Mwine, 11, from Kakoba, Mbarara while talking to New Vision on Thursday as Uganda marked the National Heroes' Day.

Heroes' day in Uganda is marked every 9th June to remember men and women who have contributed to the development of the country over the years.  I therefore did a mini survey asking children about who their heroes were and Mwine was so passionate about prevention of HIV through Voluntary Male Medical Circumcision (VMMC).

Mwine, whose dad is circumcised, said that the men who circumcise are his heroes because they do it to help in the prevention of a disease that has left millions of children fatherless a situation that has trapped millions of families in abject poverty.

‘They are my heroes because as children we want our fathers to live and be there for us. My friend of 13 years who lost both of his parents to HIV/AIDS is the father to his other two siblings aged 8 and 5 and the situation they go through  every day without food is so ugly' Mwine adds while wiping tears from his little face.

And with a sudden tough look Mwine adds ‘If I was the president, I would order all men in Uganda to be circumcised in order to help in the prevention of the terrible disease'.

According to UNAIDS, HIV and AIDS have taken an appalling toll on children and their families. In the 30 years of the HIV pandemic, about 17 million children have lost one or both parents due to the disease. 90% of these children live in sub-Saharan Africa like Jasper Mwine. In addition, 3.4 million children under 15 are living with HIV. Despite some decline in HIV prevalence worldwide and increased access to treatment, the number of children affected by or vulnerable to HIV remains alarmingly high.

Meanwhile, Dr. Barbara Nanteza, the National Coordinator of VMMC at the Ministry of Health says that in 2010 when the program started, Uganda had a target to circumcise 4.2 million men by the end of 2015 but achieved total of 2,671,134 which is 63.5%.

Dr. Nanteza calls upon all media in Uganda to support the ministry of health in promoting VMMC as a means of HIV prevention.

'You in the media have FM radios, television stations, Newspapers, Online news outlets and even social media sites that are very actively engaging your audiences and communities. These media are critical in the success of VMMC as a means of HIV prevention' Nanteza says.