The plan was to test 20,000 people by end of November in the two districts, but have not even reached half the target.
Selebi-Phikwe District AIDS Coordinator Lameck Myengwa explained to The Monitor that the target was to test 10,000 people in Selebi-Phikwe alone but at the moment only 2,554 people have tested, while 6,000 have tested in Bobirwa. He explained that most people had tested in villages surrounding Bobonong. He mentioned that Academy of Educational Development (AED) is spearheading the project and Tebelopele has been contracted to provide testing with Human People to People doing mobilisation through Child Aid.
"We have realised that women are still leading in testing and men still drag their feet. Some men believe in testing themselves through their partners. They take it that if their partners test negative, it means they are also negative. That is a wrong thing to do. Men must go and test," he said. Myengwa said testing tents have been set up in all wards of Selebi-Phikwe and all villages in the Bobirwa area, adding that the project started in August and will end on November 30..
Myengwa explained that people who test positive are referred to clinics for further assistance, adding that testers then make follow-up visists with clinics.
