United Nations Development Programme (New York) - February 27, 2003

He is in the capital, Ouagadougou, at the invitation of UNDP and the organizers of the Panafrican Film and Television Festival (FESPACO), where he is participating in the biennial gathering of film professionals from across Africa.

In addition to meeting his African counterparts, Mr. Singleton is focusing his attention on the HIV/AIDS crisis in the region. During field visits yesterday, he witnessed first hand how people in Burkina Faso are coping with the epidemic. About 6.5 per cent of adults are living with HIV/AIDS, the highest infection rate in West Africa after Côte d'Ivoire.

At the Oasis Centre, run by the non-governmental Association for African Solidarity, Mr. Singleton saw the wide range of services offered, including counselling, anonymous HIV testing, meals and medical support for people living with HIV and AIDS -- such as access to generic pharmaceuticals at 50 per cent or less of market cost for HIV-infected patients suffering from opportunistic infections.

About 1,000 people are registered with the centre, including 500 children. Two hundred of the children have lost both parents to AIDS.

Through its HIV/AIDS Trust Fund, UNDP provides support to the association's work via a project that is promoting testing and counselling activities by non-governmental organizations and community groups and an initiative that gives orphans and vulnerable children an opportunity to go to school.

While at the centre, Mr. Singleton said, "One of my biggest concerns is how poverty affects people's ability to gain access to treatment."

Halidou Banse, coordinator of the centre, explained that children in particular have little opportunity for treatment. He emphasized the centre's long-term commitment to its patients and said: "Once you start taking people in you don't know where that ends."

The film producer later visited a voluntary testing, counselling and treatment centre targeting truck drivers on major regional roadways traversing Burkina Faso, which is bordered by six countries. Because of their transient lifestyle, truck drivers are at particular risk. The centre, which serves as the headquarters for the Burkina Faso Union of Truckers in the Fight Against AIDS (URBLS), receives assistance from Population Services International for site renovations, equipment purchases and counsellor training.

Their work is part of a broader initiative for HIV/AIDS prevention on major thoroughfares throughout West Africa, supported by the US Agency for International Development. Among its main activities URBLS trains peer counsellors and deploys them at truck stops to tell truckers about the risks of HIV/AIDS and sexually transmitted diseases. The organization also receives support from the UNDP HIV/AIDS Trust Fund for its testing and counselling efforts.

"Targeting truckers where they spend their time is a very smart way to tackle this urgent problem," Mr. Singleton said.

John Singleton is the first African-American director and the youngest filmmaker to receive an Academy Award (Oscar) nomination for best director, for Boyz N the Hood. Among his other films are Rosewood, Baby Boy, Shaft and the soon-to-be-released Fast and Furious 2.

030227
UN030206

Copyright © 2003 - Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS). All rights reserved. UNAIDS articles, which are not formal publications of UNAIDS, may be freely reviewed, quoted, reproduced or translated, in part or in full, provided the source is acknowledged. The documents may not be sold or used in conjunction with commercial purposes without prior written approval from UNAIDS (contact: UNAIDS Information Centre).

AEGiS is made possible through unrestricted grants from Boehringer Ingelheim, Elton John AIDS Foundation, iMetrikus, Inc., John M. Lloyd Foundation, the National Library of Medicine, and donations from users like you. Always watch for outdated information. This article first appeared in 2003. This material is designed to support, not replace, the relationship that exists between you and your doctor.

AEGiS presents published material, reprinted with permission and neither endorses nor opposes any material. All information contained on this website, including information relating to health conditions, products, and treatments, is for informational purposes only. It is often presented in summary or aggregate form. It is not meant to be a substitute for the advice provided by your own physician or other medical professionals. Always discuss treatment options with a doctor who specializes in treating HIV.

Copyright ©1980, 2003. AEGiS. All materials appearing on AEGiS are protected by copyright as a collective work or compilation under U.S. copyright and other laws and are the property of AEGiS, or the party credited as the provider of the content. .