Ambassador Speeches

Remarks by Ambassador Katherine Canavan on the official opening of Maun Tebelopele Voluntary Counseling and Testing Center.

 October 27,2007

Member of Parliament for Maun West, the Honorable Ronald Ridge

 

 

Kgosi Kealetile Moremi,

 

 

District Commissioner Bernadette Malala,

 

 

Lt. Colonel Dan Jones,

 

 

Distinguished guests, Ladies and Gentlemen

 

 

 

I am delighted to be here today as we officially open the Tebelopele Voluntary Counseling and Testing Center in Maun.

 

 

This building will aid the Tebelopele staff in educating people on a disease that affects so many, a disease that can be prevented if people test to know their status, then take the necessary steps to either stay negative, or, if positive to manage their health in order to receive the proper care and treatment.

 

 

Facilities like this one are a beacon of hope, giving people a place to go to gain the knowledge they need to fight HIV.

 

 

The United States is actively engaged in the fight against the spread of HIV/AIDS and is committed to helping Botswana meet its vision of no new infections by 2016.

 

 

Under President Bush’s Emergency Plan for Aids Relief (known as PEPFAR), the U.S. Government has provided over $170 million in support for the people of Botswana providing additional counseling, care, medicine, and technical assistance to the Government of Botswana’s existing program.

 

 

 

 

To complement its effort, the U.S. Department of Defense has contributed over P18.5 million to fund the construction of twelve Voluntary Counseling and Testing Centers in every major population center in Botswana.

 

 

This center in Maun is the fourth VCTC completed this year alone. Another center will be completed in Francistown early next year.

 

 

In addition to the Counseling and Testing Centers, the U.S. Department of Defense Humanitarian Assistance Program (working with the Rotary Club), has also constructed orphan day care and youth centers in Molepolole and Mogoditshane which provide daily care, counseling, pre-school and after school programs for over 800 orphans and vulnerable children of all ages.

 

 

Another orphan day care center is under construction in Mochudi and two additional projects supporting orphans and partnering with the Rotary and Lions Club will begin later this year.

 

 

The U.S. Department of Defense provides these funds from the American people through their Unified Commands all over the world.

 

 

They recently reorganized to create a separate command for Africa, which will provide the same kinds of assistance and training programs that the U.S. has continued to provide to most countries in Africa over the last forty years.

 

 

The new Africa Command will, however, be better able to respond to the security concerns of African countries.

 

 

So perhaps you are wondering why the U.S. military would have a program to assist Botswana to fight HIV/AIDS?

 

 

Several years ago, then Secretary of State Colin Powell declared in a speech to the United Nations that HIV/AIDS posed a serious threat to world security.

 

 

HIV/AIDS does not threaten the security and economic well-being of so many countries, and the U.S. military is keen to assist those countries to become more secure and stable through the humanitarian assistance programs.

 

 

 

As always, the United States is poised and ready to support our friends here in Botswana in anyway we can.

 

 

We have provided some of the resources, but it is you and your government’s active leadership that have provided hope and a promising future for Botswana.

 

 

Botswana’s continuing leadership in the fight against HIV/AIDS is inspiring, but we all need to work harder on prevention.

 

 

Some day we hope there both a vaccine and a cure for HIV/AIDS, but in the meantime, the key to preventing the spread of HIV/AIDS is for everyone to know his or her HIV status, and the only way to do that is to test.

 

 

Please get the word out that facilities like Tebelopele are available and committed medical professionals and volunteers are here to help them.

 

 

Also remember your ABC’s – Abstain from sex if you can; Be faithful to a single partner and use Condoms every time.

 

 

These prevention choices can help insure that if you are HIV negative you do not contract the disease, and if you are positive, you will prevent the spread of HIV/AIDS to future generations.

 

 

I would like to recognize in particular Sergeant Barry Leming from my staff who has worked tirelessly as a general contractor to make sure these wonderful centers were built well on time.

 

 

Thank you all for coming today to open this facility and may its staff provide guidance and answers to each and every person who walks through its doors.