Zimbabwe World AIDS 2024-2025 Campaign logo
BY MUNYARADZI BLESSING DOMA
The World AIDS Day 2024-2025 theme, “Take the Rights Path”, highlights the importance of human rights in ending AIDS by 2030, promoting inclusion and eradicating stigma.
It (theme) further calls on everyone to address the inequalities that hinder progress in ending AIDS.
This was revealed by the Minister of Manicaland Provincial Affairs and Devolution, Advocate Misheck Mugadza, when he launched the WAD 2024-2025 theme and logo in Rusape on Friday.
The international theme is “Take the Rights Path”, whilst the country’s national theme is, “Take The Rights Path, My Health, My Rights Our Responsibility”.
Minister Mugadza said, “ending AIDS requires that we reach and engage everyone who is living with and at the risk of getting infected with HIV. That probably speaks about all of us here today and away.
“The theme highlights the importance of human rights in ending AIDS, promoting inclusion and eradicating stigma. It calls on policy makers and citizens to address the inequalities that hinder progress in ending AIDS.”
He also went on to unpack four aims of the theme which he said were meant to, “end AIDS as a public health threat by 2030, protect the rights of everyone living with and at risk of HIV, include people who have been most excluded and marginalized, ensure gender equity.”
Minister Mugadza further added that the theme slogan is: “My Health, My Rights – Our Responsibility.”
Turning onto the logo; he revealed that it sought to give an identity to the theme and serve as a guide to the aspirations and interventions towards ending AIDS by 2030.
“Ladies and gentlemen this logo came out after a wider consultation among stakeholders, partners and several communities in Makoni District, guided by the global theme.”
He also unpacked the logo:
Red Ribbon
The Red Ribbon is the international symbol of HIV and AIDS awareness. It stands for: Care and Concern: It is being worn by increasing numbers of people around the
world to demonstrate their care and concern about HIV and AIDS – for those who are living with HIV, for those who are ill, for those who have died and for those who care for and support those directly affected.
Hope: The Red Ribbon is intended to be a symbol of hope – that the search for a vaccine and cure to halt the suffering is successful and the quality of life improves for those living with the virus.
Support: The Red Ribbon offers symbolic support for those living with HIV, for the continuing education of those not infected, for maximum efforts to find effective treatments, cures or vaccines, and for those who have lost friends, family members or loved ones to AIDS.
Zimbabwe Map
The Zimbabwe Map in the Campaign logo shows that the campaign message is for Zimbabwe.
Green square
The green square emphasizes the importance of life. After having done everything in the right way at the right time, we will be able to give our people more life.
Speaking at the same function, National AIDS Council (NAC), Provincial Manager for Manicaland, Artwell Shiridzinomwa, said the country’s WAD campaigns and commemorations which are held under the leadership and coordination of NAC, have four specific objectives which are mainly to: “raise and strengthen HIV and AIDS awareness, call for action and commitment to HIV and AIDS national response, take stock of progress made in the national response to HIV and AIDS and remember the people who have passed on due to HIV and AIDS.”
Shiridzinomwa added that all the WAD campaigns focus on a specific theme, chosen following consultations with UNAIDS, WHO and a large number of grassroots, national and international agencies involved in the prevention and treatment of HIV/AIDS.
He also revealed that there is one theme internationally.
“As a country we work with the international theme and process through consultations with local communities here in Makoni to suit our local needs and situation hence our national theme is “take the rights path, my health, my rights our responsibility”.
“The theme will run from 1 December 2024 to 30 November 2025,” added Shiridzinomwa.
WAD commemorations have been slated for John Cowie Primary School in Rusape this Sunday.
