Nabimanya pulls crowds with HIV counselling skills

May 29, 2013

The 2,000-seater main hall was filled to capacity. Students in the hall were akin to a congregation in a deep silent prayer.

By Joel Ogwang

The 2,000-seater main hall was filled to capacity. Students in the hall were akin to a congregation in a deep silent prayer.

Occasionally, though, students ululated, clapping and shouting their way into delirium.

The 23-year-old Humphrey Nabimanya, a third-year counselling and psychology student at Makerere University, was at his self-appointed job counselling students on HIV/AIDS.

Nabimanya passes on his message to various schools through powerful and moving speeches. He is the brain behind Reach-a-Hand organisation.

With Nabimanya emceeing, the scene was as electric as it was educative.

Through entertainment, there was a message to students; ‘abstain from sex’ and for their teachers, ‘jump off the sexual network’.

Scores of students queued for blood tests and counselling.

“This is my second blood test. I have learnt to abstain from sex until the right time,” Caleb Mwendwa, a Senior Three student, says.

What could be a better way to attract students’ attention and convince them into taking sero-status tests, than through music, dance and drama?

Reach-a-Hand has embarked on behavioural change awareness campaign on sexual, reproductive, human rights and HIV/AIDS. This in an effort to empower and enable young people make informed choices about their sex life.

The organisation targets youngsters between 15 to 24 years.

The 2013 campaign will run in over 35 secondary schools in Wakiso, Mpigi and Mukono districts under the slogan ‘My body, My life, My choice’.

“My background forced me to grow older in thinking, faster than my normal age. Young people have big and positive choices to make in life, but because they are not guided, they make the wrong choices,” Nabimanya said.

(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});