The headquarters of Synergies Africaines served as the venue for the launch ceremony of “Vacances Sans Sida 2018.” The ceremony was co-chaired by the Minister of Public Health, André MAMA FOUDA, President of the National Committee for the Fight Against AIDS (CNLS), and the Minister of Youth and Civic Education, Mounouna Foutsou. They will be supported by 650 young peer educators. Led by the First Lady, Mrs. Chantal BIYA, Founding President of Synergies Africaines and Special Ambassador for UNAIDS, Vacances Sans Sida is an initiative aimed at raising awareness among young people about STIs, HIV, and AIDS during the vacation period. The goal is for these young people to learn their HIV status and gain clarity on all issues related to HIV and AIDS. The initiative targets 700,000 young people this year, and approximately 50,000 are expected to get tested during this edition. The official launch ceremony featured more than just speeches. Voluntary, anonymous, and free testing was also available. No fewer than three mobile units from the Central Technical Group and the Regional Technical Group of the Center descended on the Synergies Africaines esplanade to provide free HIV testing to the many young people and adults who gathered there.

According to recent data released following the results of the Cameroon HIV Impact Assessment (Camphia), HIV prevalence is declining: 3.4% in 2017, down from 4.3% in 2011. However, young women aged 15–24 are nine times more likely to be infected than young men in the same age group. Six out of ten new infections occur in this age group. Cameroon needs a healthy youth, stated Mounouna Foutsou, Minister of Youth and Civic Education. He called on young people to make good use of social media because, he emphasized, the risk of the disease resurging is high. In addition to mobilizing 650 peer educators in cities and villages across the country to encourage voluntary testing and the retrieval of results, the initiative will also aim to inform HIV-positive individuals that it is possible to live with HIV and achieve one’s goals, and to encourage those on treatment to take their medications regularly. The Minister of Public Health asked peer educators to convince as many of their peers as possible to get tested and, above all, to sign up for the U-Report initiative by texting “JOINDRE” for French speakers and “JOIN” for English speakers to 8555.