SOCIAL VACCINE PROGRAM OF THE FIRST LADY

Programme to fight STI/HIV Aids and other pandemics

Message of the First Lady within the context of the Social Vaccine Programme

first-lady-speech The AIDS pandemic is certainly the worst humanitarian crisis of our time. It affects the sub Saharan African countries in a particular manner. This illness, which appeared in the early 80s, has brought the limits of our health systems to the limelight. The diversity and complexity of its repercussions on the lives of infected people, family cohesion and especially the stability of the community has engendered the dire need for an urgent pluridisciplinary approach.
The AIDS pandemic has gone beyond the spheres of public health and become a developmental challenge.
In other words, how can we achieve the development of our continent if we do not act together in a concerted regional approach against this social malaise which has already produced so many victims?
Today, there are still millions of people, all over the world, who are carriers of the human immunodeficiency virus. A majority of these people live among us, in our midst, in our towns and villages. These are mainly young women and men who are at the prime of life.
Surprisingly, the whole world has been embarrassed by the upsurge of another deadly pandemic, Corona Virus Disease (COVID-19). Since COVID-19 and HIV infections cannot be cured and given that a clinical vaccine is still to be founded by the scientific world, prevention remains our most effective weapon and this calls for a conjugation of all efforts for us to succeed.
Education has a central role to play in this prevention crusade. Undoubtedly, it is by educating and sensitizing that preventive measure will be applied systematically and willingly by the youths, our children. This will happen when everyone adopts good behavioral patterns and practice them in a routine manner. It is for this reason that it has been established that education on sexually transmissible infections including HIV, COVID-19 and other pandemics should begin early, at the time when the youths start developing their personal values and behavioral patterns; that is in the nursery and primary school cycles and this should be continued throughout the secondary school cycle.
The school, due to the place that it occupies in our communities, is a platform par excellence for social mobilization and interaction. By introducing the teaching of STIs, HIV& AIDS, COVID-19 and other pandemics to the tender child, we can simultaneously address the issues of men/women parity, fight against stigmatization, discrimination and contribute to transmit values that are indispensable in the creation of a harmonious, powerful and prosperous society into our children, the adults of tomorrow.
All these concerns constitute the basis of my social commitment for nearly twenty years now. Even though the challenges are enormous, the task is passionate and enriching.
In my capacity as a Goodwill Ambassadress, I intend to follow up and intensify efforts that will result in social cohesion. I hereby pride myself of this initiative which constitutes an invaluable contribution by the entire education community to the global efforts geared towards the improvement of the health and wellbeing of our populations.
Dear teachers, dear educators, dear parents, dear learners, dear children, our choice to overcome the challenges of STIs, HIV & AIDS, COVID-19 and other pandemics is timely. It is by conjugating our endeavors that we will make Africa void of these pandemics, a better continent.
This is my Wish. This is my conviction.
Son Excellence, Madame Chantal BIYA,
First Lady of Cameroon
UNESCO Goodwill Ambassadress.
UN/AIDS Special Ambassadress