A group of young people have taken it as their commission to educate and tell others about HIV/AIDS in an effort to reduce the spread of the disease. Their campaign will target camps for internally displaced persons (IDPs), at university, amongst their friends and relatives, and at social gatherings.
Church World Service reveals that many of the inhabitants have not seen any armed attacks with their own eyes, but with IDP camps on the outskirts of town, and with many of their relatives victims of the conflict, the fighting is clearly apparent.
"My family has been affected," reports Mohammed, a 26-year-old student at Nyala University. "My relatives in Labado fled to Nyala. They told us that people with guns came to their homes, set fire to houses and shops, and killed many people."
"My aunt in Gereida was shot, the whole village looted by armed militias, and my father had all his cattle stolen," states Amani, also 26.
"Last week in Otash camp, new arrivals from Buram area told me how they had been attacked by armed militias," she continues. "And I brought the wounded from Mershing back to Nyala," adds Hannan, according to CWS.I am part of the community. It is my duty to send out messages about HIV/AIDS to my community. This war has already taken too many lives.
student at Nyala University, 26
Like many other people in Nyala, Amani, Amira,and Hannan all work for humanitarian organisations. Through their work they regularly meet victims of the conflict. "This war has destroyed so much; there are many victims," laments Amira.
These young people want peace. "As a Sudanese, in particularly a Darfurian, I do not want the conflict to continue. I hope that it will end quickly and that there will be a comprehensive peace," declares Amani.
With or without peace, they know that there is something else which is also a great threat to the society in the region: "HIV/AIDS could destroy the community," declares Rhama, 26.
Mohammed, Amani, Hannan, Rhama, and Amira, along with others, all attended a six-day workshop and training session about HIV/AIDS and how to raise awareness and spread messages among others. The course was run by the Sudan Council of Churches (SCC), a member of ACT International and partner of ACT/Caritas.
