Bugisu Cultural leaders to be trained in HIV prevention skills
“We shall ensure that the HIV message delivered to the clan chairmen and Bukuka ministers is well crafted and impactful,” he emphasized.
Mbale: The Spokesperson of the Bugisu Cultural Institution, Hon. Steven Masiga, has revealed that over 60 clan chairpersons, cultural ministers, and key cultural influencers are set to be equipped with vital skills aimed at combating reckless lifestyles that have contributed to rising HIV prevalence rates in the Bugisu region and beyond.
Masiga told this publication that the training, funded by the Uganda AIDS Commission, will take place on Saturday at Courts View Hotel in Mbale City.
He said the initiative seeks to empower cultural leaders with accurate knowledge and advocacy tools to become agents of change within their communities in the fight against HIV/AIDS.
“The cultural ministers and clan chairmen will be retooled with proper knowledge on how to become change-makers in their communities, especially in addressing the HIV challenge, which research indicates remains at a high level in the Bugisu region,”
said Masiga.
He extended appreciation to the Executive Director of the Uganda AIDS Commission and his team for their continued support toward cultural-based HIV response initiatives.
“In our subsequent strategic mission, we shall roll this program further down—with the support of the Uganda AIDS Commission—and decentralize it to reach the lowest levels of our community structures,”
Masiga added.
According to him, all clan chairpersons, ministers of the cultural institution, and media teams attached to the institution have been officially notified about the upcoming training.
Masiga also noted that the institution’s Secretariat, led by the Minister for Health, has assembled a team of highly respected facilitators, including District Health Officers and HIV focal persons, to guide the sessions.
“We shall ensure that the HIV message delivered to the clan chairmen and Bukuka ministers is well crafted and impactful,”
he emphasized.
The initiative underscores the cultural institution’s growing role in public health advocacy, using traditional structures to promote awareness, responsibility, and behavioral change across Bugisu.
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