Sudan is one of the African countries that have gone through a massive decline in the social and economical standards. This followed the twenty one years of civil war that resulted into many Sudanese being killed, traumatised, many children left orphans, many women left widows, others raped and forced to bring up children whom they have not intended to have and who do not have fathers at same time. Many people were displaced within or outside the geographical boundaries of the country, Sudan.   

A number of programmes are being placed forwards in an attempt to resettle the displaced Sudanese people who are willing to resettle back home following the peace agreement break through of January, 2005.

The twenty one years period of unrest and of no law and order is raising other concerns on what the impact of the pass few years’ history would be on Sudan’s future. Issues related to social moral standard and HIV/Aids including the best measures to be taken in an attempt to eradicate the deadly virus in the country are the dominating ones. Of the most concerns is the way a new re-establishing society like Sudan would cop up with these degrading impacts of the HIV/Aids out-breaks.

Adopt a Village in Africa is a Christian organisation that is aimed to support African orphans and widows. It also provides assistance to the HIV/Aids devastated persons and has liaisons in 12 Sub-Saharan African countries who are working directly in collaboration with organisations that supports orphans, widows and HIV/Aids victims. The 12 countries are:  Congo (DRC), Ethiopia, Kenya, Ghana, Nigeria, Rwanda, South-Africa, Sudan, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia, and Zimbabwe.

History of the effects of HIV/Aids

In the two-and-a-half decades since its outbreak, HIV has infected more than 60 million people and AIDS has caused the deaths of more than 20 million people. The pandemic has shattered lives and left families destitute. More than 14 million children have been orphaned by HIV/AIDS; that number is expected to more than triple by 2010 as was reported by CARE (2004). It is estimated that 5 million people contracted HIV in 2003, seven hundred thousand of whom were children below age 15 WHO (2004) provides. It is also estimated that 50% of all new HIV infections occur among young people and that 30% of the 40 million people living with HIV/AIDS are in the 15-24 year age group WHO (2004) reported.  Out of this HIV/Aids toll, an estimation of about three-quarters of the HIV/Aids victims are said to be concentrated in African countries.  

This proposal Draft will attempt to explore

v     Some reasons as to why Sudan is the most vulnerable society to be affected by Aids

v     What measures are likely to be taken in an attempt to reduce the effects of Aids in Sudanese societies

v     The AAVIA long term solution to eradicate HIV/Aids in Sudan.

v     The missions of the AAVIA proposal for members visit to Sudan in the year 2006.

The reasons as to why Sudan is the most vulnerable society to be affected by HIV/Aids

Sudan is one of the most vulnerable spot on the world that HIV/Aids has existed for some times and where at the same time less caution is taken to formulate a preventive national way of fighting HIV/Aids. By national way, I meant away that would address the social causes of HIV/Aids with referral to specific communities in the Sudanese multicultural society.

The truck in the focus on developing social and moral lives of the communities in the Sudanese society was lost when both the government of the Sudan, SPLA/M and other rebels movements got prostrated, lost their mines, fought with out objectives and started to invest all the economical and social resources on building a shit that has connected all the regions of Sudan called ‘the lowest worth of human blood in modern history’.

Cultures and traditions were destroyed and a quite good number of the population was converted into religions of either a Christian or Islamic nature. These religions were later on corrupted, for example Muslims were incited against Christians and likewise Christians where incited against Muslims. The war was successfully prolonged by just changing its cause from unequal share of national wealth and resources in to a holy war between Christians concentrated in the south part of the country and Muslims who are concentrated in the north. 

The diminished role of the core human-social life enriching institutes like cultures, traditions, religions and governments to work hand in hand and improve the quality of the human lives has driven the Sudanese’s society to the lowest level of morality. This low level of morality in the Sudan has made the Sudanese society more vulnerable HIV/Aids and other Sexually Transmitted Diseases (STD). By low level of morality here, I refer to things like the decrease in right of property ownership and the decline in the respect for human dignity. For instance, in the current Sudan, eight out of ten women from age 10 to 50 who were not able to leave the country during the civil war reported to have being raped for at least one time. Few cases of homo sexual raping have also being heard of. Lack of accountability or minimum punishment towards big offices like rape has cultured many people to be satisfying their thirst and needs through unjust means. For example the sexual relationship by forces still continues and has now become a normal day to day way of living.

The Sudanese society is also vulnerable to HIV/Aids and many other forms of human health hazards due to the population unrestricted drugs consumption that have out rule the Sudan’s government theoretical law that announce a band on drugs use. Drugs like alcohol, bongo and many others have being used by Sudanese with out restriction and no regulation during the twenty one years of the civil war. This increase in the use of drugs is closely related to the above discussed increase in rape cases and rape situations in the Sudanese society now.

The number of children born to Sudanese national and left in an orphan’s like situation is significant and mostly linked with drugs use as well. By saying children left in orphans like situation, I refer to the children who are born after their mothers are being raped, or born through drugs motivated sexual relation whereby parent/s refuses to take the responsibility of the child or children.  

Drug consumption has continued with an estimated seven out of ten males age from 12 and older intensively involved. They used of drugs does not only affect the Sudanese youths at the Sudan confined geographical location but it also affect the Sudanese nationals who lives in other places. For example, a friend who have worked with Sudanese youths involved with drugs in Australia suggested that in ten to twenty years time, three quarter of the Sudanese’s born youths from age 15 to 35 will be intensively involved in drugs use and consequently will be involve with crime doing and that is in Australia.

The Sudanese society in Sudan is also vulnerable to HIV/Aids and other potential infections due to the lack of awareness about STDs and plus the inadequate medical facilities. The majority of the population do not get STDs regular check or never get checked at all. This leaves a number of people who are infected and are not aware of the infection keep on passing the virus or disease to others without their intention.

Some culture in the Sudanese society could even make STDs more inhibited in the Sudanese communities. Many cultures do practices polygamy (the act of marrying many wives), which is not a problem at all but since marriages are conducted in the absence of STDs screening, the effects of HIV/Aids or other STDs can be devastating. Some culture like Taposa for example tolerates a forceful sexual intercourse as the first step towards an engagement. This is good as a culture but increases the chances of HIV/Aids and potential diseases to pass on to other people who may not have contracted the infection before the contact occurred.

The business of selling and buying sex is another area of vulnerability of Sudan to HIV/Aids and the like potential diseases. Following the Sudan’s government declaration of Islamic law prohibiting prostitution, the prostitution business continued in the black market. By black market, I mean a business that is made outside the knowledge or control of the local authority. Following the government’s rejection of the business, nothing is done to ensure the safety of the people involve with the business. This did not only increase the chances of STDs to spread into the communities but also increases child prostitution and abuses.  

Condoms have assured many people in the Sudanese society of infection free sex but from personal survey, it is clear that condoms can boost the STDs infection rates particularly in Sudan. This is because seven out of ten people who are using condoms in Sudan momentarily are reporting some cracks of condoms when they are using them. The reasons for the cracking of the condoms are certainly not reviewed. They may be because of bad warehousing conditions or the condoms are being applied to communities with the assumption that they know or will know how to use them. 

What measures are likely to be taken in an attempt to reduce the effects of HIV/Aids in Sudanese Societies?  

The government/s of Sudan should work together and invest in the lines towards improving the quality of the social morality of the society by doing the following.

Ø      Provide chances for the destroyed cultures and traditions to be re-established and help them focus on issues of things related to STDs and guide them all through with appropriate policies.

Ø      Work with religion’s institutes to develop a long terms policy that will ensure that the future generations will not follow the same truck that this existing generation have gone through. Here I mean they should resolve all the current problems and give themselves a chance to focus on the futures potential problems and challenges.

Ø      The Government/s of Sudan should be encouraged to invest in improving the medical and sanitation situation of Sudan so that the mistake in transplanting HIV/Aids and other potential diseases is minimised.

Ø      Religions like Christian and Islamic should return back to their main role of giving values to human life and never at any history in Sudan should they give a chance to be corrupted again.

The AAVIA long term solution to eradicating HIV/Aids in Sudan

The AAVIA will do the following in its long term plans to fight against HIV/Aids in Sudan and to improve the quality of the lives of the children left in orphan like situation, orphans, widows and women left in same situations and to minimised the occurrence of such number of people being left in the like situations in the Sudan’s future.

      Empower the communities of the Sudanese society to adopt cultures, traditions and norms that will reform the population behaviour that makes HIV/Aids a thread to their communities.

      Focus religion’s denominations to critically work for the better of the future of Sudan.  For example, encourage both Christian, Muslims and other traditions to co operate and focus on important issues so that they are able to create policies that will help the society to contain the HIV/Aids epidemic and some other forms of social morality concerns that are threatening the coming future of Sudan.

      Empower and encourage the population of the Sudan to take responsibilities and be accountable for their doings. For example, being responsible for the children they had in either right or wrong ways.

      Establish a better way the Sudanese communities can help to reduce the threats to the future by supporting children who do not have parent/s, orphans, widows and the like.

      Encourage the communities to support people with HIV/Aids and the HIV/Aids victims and infected to support the community in the move to contain HIV/Aids.

AAVIA missions in Sudan for year 2006

The AAVIA mission for 2006 is to work in celebration with many organisations working in Sudan with programmes of support for the orphans, widows and people with HIV/Aids and to adopt a national ways of preventing HIV/Aids epidemic from separating all over the regions of Sudan. AAVIA expected outcomes for the year 2006 are:

v     Establish AAVIA identity in the Sudan

v     Create HIV/Aids awareness strategies that will inform the population from their localities.

v     Encourage the spirit of volunteerism in the efforts to fight against HIV/Aids in Sudan

v      Researching on the geographical related causes of HIV/Aids or related reasons that might encourage the spread of the virus and develop a long term solution to HIV/Aids

v     Establishing a communication ground for the AAVIA and Sudan government/s

v     Create an effective awareness of AAVIA to the communities such as churches, international communities or any donors who may be willing

v     Catering for the orphans and widows and extend the restricted meaning of orphan and widow to cover for the orphans’ definition left out children and the conditioned like widows.

The AAVIA first move for 2006

The mission of the AAVIA for the year 2006 is to send special delegations to Sudan. The objective of this move is to develop away AAVIA can influence the local population and government/s of Sudan to focus on the most issues of concerns to the AAVIA and therefore pushes this issues to the top list of their preferences.  The delegations that will be sent to Sudan will be commissioned to

ü      The AAVIA management board should sell the project so that the programmes are reasonable funded 

ü      Establish the Identity of the AAVIA, that is meet with local government/s’ authorities and legalised AAVIA operations in Sudan.

ü      Meet with regional or states authorities to inform them about the campaign and to review the existing polices  on HIV/Aids, Orphans and children who resulted from the civil war low level of moralities

ü      Meet with local Religions, spiritual, traditional and cultural leaders and counsellors including wise men and women to talk about issues related to HIV/Aids, impacts of huge number of orphans on their local societies, their social fears for the future as a result. The delegations should also talk to them about AAVIA plans and strategies for coping with the challenges cause to the society by the war such as orphaning population and HIV/Aids

ü      Consult high schools authorities and encourage AAVIA representation as a move towards encourage volunteerism and a social focus on the issue of concerned to AAVIA

ü      The delegation then will report their finding to AAVIA management so that it is reviewed. The AAVIA management should then compile a comprehensive official document that will be published. The AAVIA will then develop an improvised polices for AAVIA that will help tackle the AAVIA concerns in Sudan in appropriate way.

The number of the delegations to be sent to the field will be decided by the AAVIA -Sudan management team.