Pader hairperson calls for renewed fight against HIV through youth engagement

27 June 2026, 6:09 pm

By Geoffrey Okwong

Pader District LCV Chairperson Alfred Akena has called for renewed efforts to combat HIV/AIDS through greater youth engagement, urging development partners to integrate young people into the design and implementation of HIV prevention and awareness programmes.

Speaking during a meeting with development partners at the Pader District headquarters on Friday, Akena said young people constitute the largest segment of the population and can play a critical role in influencing positive behaviour change among their peers.

He encouraged organisations implementing health programmes to work closely with youth leaders and peer educators to expand the reach of HIV prevention messages.

Akena also urged communities to embrace HIV testing, adhere to antiretroviral therapy (ART), and support initiatives aimed at reducing new HIV infections and AIDS-related deaths.

He said strengthening youth participation in health campaigns would accelerate progress towards ending HIV as a public health threat.

Speaking at the same meeting, Augustine Omongin the Pader Deputy Resident District Commissioner attributed the continued spread of HIV among young people to household poverty, saying economic hardship is exposing many girls and women to risky situations in search of survival.

Omongin said addressing poverty at the family level is critical to reducing new HIV infections and improving community wellbeing.

“The major problem begins at home. Poverty is the root cause. If we eliminate hunger in our homes, we shall save many girls from getting infected with HIV,” he said.

He observed that many parents are unable to adequately provide for their children, forcing some young girls to seek financial support elsewhere, thereby increasing their vulnerability to HIV infection.

Omongin also expressed concern that some people living with HIV knowingly continue to engage in unprotected sexual relationships, exposing others, including young girls and married women, to the virus.

He urged families to prioritise income-generating activities, particularly commercial agriculture, saying improved household incomes would reduce vulnerability among young people and strengthen family stability.

The Deputy RDC further noted that poverty has contributed to increasing domestic conflicts and family breakdowns, making it more difficult to protect children from exploitation and risky behaviour.

He called on development partners and local leaders to support programmes that economically empower households while strengthening HIV prevention awareness, especially among young people.

Omongin emphasised that sustainable efforts to combat HIV must go beyond health interventions and address the underlying drivers of infection, including poverty, hunger, and unemployment.

The meeting was attended by Pader Chief Administrative Officer Suzan Adong, Resident District Commissioner Amos Assimwe Bangy, district executive members, district councillors, and representatives from World Vision Uganda, GIZ, LMK, ADRA, LWF, SOS Children’s Villages, OASIS Uganda, WORUDET, PACWA, MU-JHU care Ltd and Human Rights Uganda.