Traders of the Mvog-Betsi Market in Yaounde were pleased to have a delegation of the Circle of Friends of Cameroon (CERAC) on Wednesday, July 18, amongst them.

Special about the presence of CERAC women was that their services at the market were for free. On behalf of the First Lady of Cameroon, Founding President of CERAC, the delegation of CERAC ladies came to the market square to encourage youths particularly girls in the AIDS-Free Holidays campaign. They joined in distributing leaflets to educate the population about the disease as well tools which can be used to prevent the disease such as male and female condoms. As the Mvog-Betsi population freely went through the voluntarily HIV screening, they were happy to visit CERAC's exhibition stand which gave them enough material about the HIV pandemic and what they can do to remain HIV-free as well as the steps to follow to be healthy carriers of the virus.

The President of the Health Committee at CERAC, Dr Julienne Ngo Som said they were out to reinforce the vision of the First Lady which is to sensitise and encourage women and young girls to go in for the HIV screening especially as the HIV prevalence is high amongst them. Dr Ngo Som said given that girls are usually timid, their motherly presence at the market square encouraged many to voluntarily undertake the test. It should be recalled that the AIDS-Free Holidays campaign is taking place under the patronage of Cameroon's First Lady, Mrs Chantal Biya. She is the initiator of the campaign which began 10 years ago.

With the presence of an HIV mobile unit at the Mvog-Betsi Market square, a staff from the Centre Regional Technical Group for the Fight against HIV, Thierry Enguele said some 300 men and women between 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 pm. had already undertaken the voluntarily HIV screening as well as withdrawing their results. The staff charged with handing people's HIV results indicated that majority of the population came for their results amongst which very few are positive. According to peer educators they did not face difficulties in counselling people to go for the HIV test.