THE Hillcrest AIDS Centre Trust (HACT) will mark World AIDS Day with its annual World AIDS Day Christmas market and a candle lighting ceremony. The annual craft market is to assist its many community crafters who are impacted by HIV/AIDS to raise income for their families this festive season.
The market will be held at its premises, at 26 Old Main Road in Hillcrest, on Saturday, 3 December from 8am until 2pm and the public is urged to attend. The candle-lighting ceremony will also take place at the centre to remember those who have died due to AIDS-related illnesses during the past year.
It will be a morning packed with activities for the whole family, including craft stalls, an indigenous plant sale, live music, a tea garden, children’s play area, HIV and wellness testing, a raffle and tours of the centre. This World AIDS Day, HACT has also challenged the public and local businesses to get involved and show their support by adopting a bed in its Respite Unit or by joining its Hope Club and committing to a monthly donation of R100 or more per month.
HACT, a non-profit organisation that responds to the HIV pandemic in a holistic and multi-faceted way, operates in the Valley of 1000 Hills region – one of the epicentres of the world’s HIV pandemic, with estimated infection rates as high as 40 to 60 per cent in some communities.
HACT’s CEO, Olivia Myeza, said the test and treat approach will save many lives.
“One of the biggest challenges to the HIV response in South Africa has always been that people have had to wait until their CD4 count – a measure of someone’s immune strength – reached a certain low point before they could start the life-saving ARV medication.”
“Now, thanks to the investment made by the Department of Health, everyone has the right to start ARVs as soon as they test positive for HIV, which will mean that people are starting treatment when they are well and strong, thereby dramatically decreasing any negative immune reactions to the medication,” she said.
“We know that treatment also serves as prevention in that once people are on ARVs and are virally suppressed, their chances of passing HIV on to partners or children are decreased. So we can anticipate that this new availability of ARV medication will lead to a significant decrease in new HIV infections in the future – this is a huge leap forward and something that we need to celebrate.”
HACT will host an intimate candle-lighting ceremony in its 24-bed Respite Unit on Thursday, 1 December where staff and patients will have a chance to light a candle for any loved ones who have died in the past year. “We will also light a candle for each person who died in our Respite Unit in the past 12 months – 74 candles will burn bright in remembrance of them,” said Olivia.
