Word: uganda
(lookup in dictionary)
(lookup stats)
Dates: all
Sort By: most recent first
(reverse)
...Advocates cheered the initiative, saying it would give women more control over their bodies. But in the weeks since, major funders of HIV/AIDS-prevention programs have shown far less enthusiasm, with many deciding not to back the plan. Instead of serving as a surefire weapon against the spread of HIV, Uganda's female-condoms initiative has become the latest example of the limitations faced by governments, advocacy groups and donors in the fight against the virus...
...When Uganda announced its plan to hand out female condoms, it got plenty of support. "The No. 1 issue for women is to be able to negotiate," Serra Sippel, president of the Center for Health and Gender Equity in Washington, tells TIME. "The main issue was the desire for women to be able to say, 'O.K., you're not going to use yours, then let's use mine.' " In the fight against AIDS, say the advocates, any little bit helps. True, studies about the efficacy of female condoms are inconclusive. But, they insist, women, especially in Uganda, need as many...
...another choice, the government's move may only distract from other drug and condom programs. "You can't just put 100,000 condoms out in district warehouses and expect something to happen," says Mike Strong, coordinator for the U.S. President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) in Uganda. "Since we try to be an evidence-based operation, we're waiting to see any evidence that this is a cost-effective method of protecting women against unwanted pregnancy and HIV transmission...
...Uganda sees the female condom as one way to regain the success the nation had in the fight against HIV/AIDS in the 1990s. After slashing its AIDS rate from more than 20% in the late '80s to about 6% in 2000, Uganda saw a leveling off of AIDS cases and then a slight rise. No one has been able to explain the reversal. Some say it's related to failed distribution programs for the male condom in the past. Other experts suspect that it's a result of foreign NGOs and governments pushing Uganda away from effective domestic programs that...
...Stung by the failure of a female-condom initiative it tried 10 years ago, Uganda will start by distributing only the 100,000 female condoms it has in stock in two regions. The government says it has learned its lesson from the earlier program, and will put more effort into distribution and teaching people how to use the condoms. The government plan is partly a response to demand from civil-society groups, who say Ugandan women are bearing the brunt of the AIDS epidemic. In a meeting on July 7, government officials agreed to start the program this year...