THE Kouga Local Aids Council (KLAC) closed their last meeting of the year with a certificate ceremony for members who recently completed a basic HIV/Aids course.
The 23 trainees come from the Health and Education portfolios, serving on the different ward committees of Kouga.
The two-day course, conducted by the Falcon Safety Academy, took place at the Newton Hall in Jeffreys Bay in June and focused on the basics of caring and supporting those who are infected and affected by the disease.
The KLAC is a coordinating body of government departments and stakeholders from non-go-vernmental organisations and community structures working within the HIV/Aids and related illnesses space.
The structure is coordinated by the Office of the Executive Mayor in line with government regulations.
Speaking at the certificate ceremony, Community Services Portfolio Councillor Daniel Benson, standing in for Mayor Horatio Hendricks, said the municipality was encouraged to see the growth of the KLAC in recent years.
“We were, at one point, worried about the direction the Local Aids Council was taking, but we are happy that we can see it growing from strength to strength.
“With that said, we are calling for more stakeholders to come on board as the fight against the disease needs all of us to stand together,” he said.
Benson said it was a concern for the structure and the municipality that very few men were seen participating in such campaigns despite them being affected as well.
“To deal with this shortcoming we have organised a Men’s Dialogue as part of the launch of the 16 Days of Activism campaign for No Violence Against Women and Children. We want to get men to talk openly about these issues, that affect them and those around them,” he said.
The Men’s Dialogue will take place on Tuesday next week at the Dan Sandi Hall in Patensie.
