On Saturday April 19th, more than 8 000 people took to the streets of Johannesburg to march against HIV/Aids. The event, which ended at the Mary Fitzgerald Square, was organised by the Universal Church of the Kingdom of God (UCKG). Gearhouse SA played an instrumental role in the success of this year’s event.
The march celebrated it’s fourth year this year. It started at the UCKG’s headquarters in Plein Street and proceeded through Eloff Street into Jeppe Street. At the Mary Fitzgerald Square, people attending the march gathered to listen to various speakers on the topic of HIV/Aids. Prominent speakers included a representative from New Start and well-known HIV/AIDS activist and radio personality, Ms. Chriselda Kananda, as the MC for the day. Gearhouse SA has a long-standing relationship with the UCKG and try to support their campaigns as far as possible. This march was no exception, says Robyn Mulligan from GHSA.
“Because we support the UCKG’s commitment to the struggle against HIV/Aids, we always try to accommodate them within their available budget. This year we built the stage and provided the lighting. The GHSA-crew also rigged the UCKG’s own sound system to enable thousands of people to listen to the speeches.” Recent statistics show that South Africa is now officially the country with the highest rate of HIV/AIDS infections, and the aim of the event was to encourage people to remain HIV-negative, or alternatively, to live healthy lifestyles if already infected by HIV.
The UCKG is urging all of South African society to get involved in this battle – not only those infected or affected by HIV/Aids. It believes that an effective campaign aimed at cutting down the rate of new infections, must involve government, religious leaders, community leaders, NGOs and other sectors of society. Says Bishop Rathebe from the UCKG: “It is vital that South Africans are clearly educated about how to avoid the disease. This needs to happen before our economy collapses due to the death of its viable workforce and we are faced with a bigger humanitarian problem.” Provision was made at the square for three mobile clinics for free testing and counselling. Over 350 people were tested and many more counselled by the 35 volunteer counsellors.
According to Bishop Rathebe, the UCKG advocates testing, because knowing your HIV-status empowers you to make informed decisions. Although no cure has as yet been found, HIV/Aids no longer needs to be a death sentence.
Through proper care and nutrition, HIV-sufferers can still live healthy and full lives. Just as the UCKG strives to use its influence, power and capacity to change people’s attitudes and behaviour regarding this pandemic, Gearhouse SA also believes the answer to the problem lies in education and commitment.
“Like every other business, Gearhouse SA has personally felt the impact of the Aids pandemic on our staff and the events industry as a whole,” says MD Ofer Lapid. “We strongly believe that HIV education across the continent is the only solution to the problem. Every small contribution counts and to be involved in this sort of event towards community HIV awareness and education is very much in line with our own beliefs.” For more on Gearhouse SA - www.gearhouse.co.za For more on UCKG – www.uckg.org.za
Contact Information:
Robyn D’Alessandro
Company Name: Gearhouse South Africa (Pty) Ltd
www.gearhouse.co.za
tel: 011 216 3000
fax: 011 216 3100
mobile: 083 607 3010
email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
