Six months after the designation of Cameroon’s First Lady, Mrs Chantal Biya as UNAIDS Special Ambassador, links between the Pan-African NGO (African Synergy Against HIV and Suffering) she founded and the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV and AIDS (UNAIDS) keeps improving.

Yesterday, November 30, 2015, the new Country Director of UNAIDS, Dr Claire Mulanga Tshidibi, paid a courtesy visit to the headquarters of African Synergy Against HIV and Suffering. During her visit, she was welcomed by the Executive Secretary of African Synergy, Jean Stéphane Biatcha.

Jean Stéphane Biatcha used the opportunity to present the structure created by the First Lady some 13 years ago with the goal of bringing African First Ladies together so that they contribute to the improvement of the health and well-being of Africans.

With some of the association’s objectives to mobilise all human, technical and financial resources to support programmes aimed at combating HIV/AIDS and foster the establishment of a platform of solidarity and concrete action in support of the most destitute persons, the Executive Secretary of African Synergy presented to their august guest some of the achievements of African First Ladies which cut across prevention of mother-to-child transmission of HIV (PMTCT), reduction of maternal and infant mortality, prevention and management of STI, HIV/AIDS and the alleviation of the suffering of the African child as well as assisting vulnerable people.

Dr Claire Tshidibi said UNAIDS will do all that they can to technically and financially support the actions of Cameroon’s First Lady. The UNAIDS country Director said they are working on more effective ways to mobilise financial resources especially now that there are a lot of difficulties due to financial crisis.

“UNAIDS will be very instrumental in helping and working with African Synergy to mobilise additional resources and advocate to fight stigmatisation towards HIV patients while improving the health situation of mother and child,” Dr Claire Tshidibi underlined.