Kenya First Lady Margaret Kenyatta has reiterated that she is committed to curbing the HIV/AIDS menace. Speaking at the 20th Ordinary General Assembly of the Organization of African First Ladies against HIV/AIDS (OAFLA) in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, the First Lady said her motivation to tackle the disease hasn’t wavered and the desperate stories of the unnecessary deaths of women and children across the country has continued to drive her focus.
The meeting was attended by other 15 First Ladies from across Africa, who are part of the Organization. She revealed that Kenya has increased efforts to achieve a less than five percent mother to child transmission rate by 2020, adding that a framework advocating for strong multi-level leadership, advocacy and resilient programming was launched last year in June. “The elimination of mother to child transmission of HIV and syphilis continues to be my focus in the next Beyond Zero Strategic Framework 2018 to 2022,” she said.
She highlighted the benefits of the Beyond Zero Initiative, which has enabled her to lend her voice to support policy, advocating for increased resource investment for HIV prevention, treatment and care.