Dhaka Bureau: The Pair Volunteer Rally-2023 was held on Wednesday, October 25, at 9 a.m. with the technical support of Save the Children International, the overall management of the Dhaka Ahsania Mission Consortium, and the financing of Global Fund at the BACE Tenning Center ground in Sonargaon, Narayanganj district.
Dr. Lima Rahman, Director of the Health and Nutrition Sector of Save the Children, as the chief guest at the event, said that discrimination and the rights of people at risk of HIV/AIDS should be ensured. Promoting health awareness among sex workers and playing a leading role in organizing sex workers against gender-based violence He requested that they continue this effort.
Dr. Ranok Khan, Chief of Party of Save the Children’s HIV AIDS Program, said in a special guest speech at the event presided over by Iqbal Masood, Director of Health and WASH Sector of Dhaka Ahsania Mission, that pair outreach workers are making an important contribution in bringing HIV positive patients under counseling and health services and preventing HIV infection.
Dr. Nashir Uddin, Technical Specialist Program Officer of Clinical Services of Dhaka Ahsaniya Mission, and Dr. Jannatul Marfi, Senior Project Manager of Save the Children Salima Sultana, Senior Manager (Operation) of HIV/AIDS Program Md. Mirza Moinul Islam, Technical of Clinical Services, were present as guests in the gathering. Specialist Dr. Ahmed Mottasim Billah, CSS Technical Specialist Morsheda Akhtar, Dhaka Ahsaniya Mission Health and Wash Sector Assistant Director (Medical Services) Dr. Nayla Parveen, Care Bangladesh Representative Akhtar Jahan Shilpi, and Dhaka Ahsaniya Mission Female Sex Worker Intervention Team Leader Dr.: Apart from Kamruzzaman, Dhaka Ahsania Mission Consortium’s female sex worker intervention subsidiary Ipsha, 9 DICs of Nari Mukti Sangh, and pair outreach workers of 16 outlets and representatives of various levels of sex network were present.
Speakers at the event also said that although the effect of this disease is not in epidemic form, its spread still exists. Rates of unsafe sex and unsafe needle-syringe use remain alarming among high-risk populations, such as sex workers and injecting drug users. Which is increasing the risk of HIV infection in our country. With the technical support of Save the Children to make Bangladesh AIDS-free by the year 2030 through the National AIDS/STD Program (NASP) of the Government of Bangladesh Department of Health in line with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, the Dhaka Ahsania Mission Consortium is working tirelessly to implement “Priority HIV Prevention Programs for At-Risk Populations” Achieving this goal requires the cooperation of people from all levels of society, including peer outreach workers.
In the concluding speech, Iqbal Masood, Director of Dhaka Ahsaniya Mission Health and Wash Sector, said, “We are working with the determination to build an HIV-free Bangladesh.” We dream that by 2030, Bangladesh will be known as the most prosperous AIDS-free country on earth.
