Kindu, December 2, 2013 - The celebration of the World AIDS Day at Kindu, capital of the Maniema province, on December 1, had two highlights.

At the outset, on the eve of the occasion, Saturday, November 30, the office of the UN Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo (MONUSCO) at Kindu, through its Public Information Section, donated food and school supplies to hundreds of needy children and AIDS orphans who are in school thanks to the support offered by Femmes Plus foundation. This NGO provide care to 800 vulnerable children, including 642 AIDS orphans and 13 children living with HIV / AIDS. The event was attended by representatives of the provincial coordination offices of the National Multisectoral Programme against AIDS (PNMLS), the National Programme for the Fight against AIDS (NLP) and several officials from the office of the UN Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUSCO) at Kindu, Maniema Province.

The Head of the MONUSCO Kindu office, Kassy Shaw Pachomius, took the floor to read out the message of the UN Secretary General on this occasion. In this message Mr. Ban Ki-moon stressed that much remained to be done to overcome the problem of HIV / AIDS. The UN Secretary General emphasized in his message: "If we want a future free of AIDS, we will need continued investment, commitment and innovation to reach the vision of zero new HIV infections, zero discrimination and zero AIDS-related deaths".

At the end, the organizers distributed condoms with a view to raising awareness against this pandemic. In the meantime, the Vice-President of the Maniema branch of Congolese Union of people living with HIV / AIDS highlighted the fact that in the town of Kindu some 400 people living with HIV / AIDS have been identified.

Halili Tshibangu/MONUSCO