LAGOS – Popular music and lifestyle channel MTV Base and Elton John AIDS Foundation (EJAF) are partnering to encourage young Nigerians to get tested for HIV and know the risks of the infection.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that officials from both bodies revealed the partnership at an activation event held at Villa Medici, Victoria Island, Lagos, on Tuesday evening.
Georgia Arnold, the Executive Director, MTV Staying Alive Foundation, said: “We are thrilled to partner with Elton John AIDS Foundation in Nigeria for the first time.
“The partnership is to motivate young Nigerians to get tested for HIV and help to lower the rate of new infections.
“Over two million teenagers around the world are living with HIV and we need to support them now to know their status and access treatment,’’ she said.
Also speaking, Anne Aslett, the Executive Director of Elton John AIDS Foundation said: “We need to make sure that all young people make HIV testing part of their lives.
“On Tour with TV Shuga is a fantastically smart way to engage young people in Nigeria respectfully and appropriately to do exactly this.
“We are delighted to be supporting the initiative.’’
Both officials said that MTV Base, MTV Staying Alive Foundation and the EJAF were creating a unique show called “On Tour with MTV Shuga’’ and 50 HIV Testing Centres across five states of the country.
They said the campaign was in response to the 2012 statistics from the National Action Committee on AIDS (NACA) which revealed the percentage of men and women who know their status.
The report showed that only 17 per cent of all women and men aged 15 to 49 in Nigeria had received HIV testing in 2011 and know their results.
The officials said the study also showed that only a quarter of Nigerians between the ages 15 and 24 had a comprehensive and accurate understanding of HIV/AIDS.
MTV Base partners with Elton John to motivate HIV testing among youths
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