Partnerships by women urged against HIV/AIDS

The Mozambican Minister for Women's Affairs, Virgilia Matabele, has urged women to work together in the fight against HIV and AIDS. At the recent launch of 'Kuyakana', a network of organisations representing HIV-positive women, the minister said only by collaborating could women reduce poverty, eradicate social exclusion and discrimination, and tackle the pandemic. The local news agency, AIM, quoted Matabele as saying: "The struggle against poverty and against HIV/AIDS needs a very strong partnership - we hope we can count on this network to overcome this evil. The government promises to provide the necessary support, so that fewer people become infected." Kuyakana will focus on prevention campaigns directed at women and girls, access to treatment, and mitigation of the pandemic's negative impact.