On Dec. 11th the Eu DREAM Movement in Maputo, was invited to hold a conference for government officials from the Ministry for Women and Social Action on the risks of AIDS.

An agreement between the Ministry and the Community of Sant’Egidio promising government support for the programmes organised by the Community in favour of the more vulnerable sectors of society such as children, the elderly and the disabled, as well as collaboration in promoting birth registration and education for young children, was signed last July.

In addition, the agreement also concerns the DREAM Programme in the country and its battle against AIDS through prevention, health education, and the fight against stigma, discrimination and malnutrition.

In the framework of this agreement and with Christmas in sight, the Minister for Women and Social Action, the Honourable Virginia Matabele, asked the Eu DREAM to hold a conference for her officials.

The meeting which was attended by 250 Ministry workers as well as the Minister aroused great interest. In fact, the majority of the participants were not well-informed about the prevention and treatment of AIDS. Their numerous questions met with satisfactory answers from the Eu DREAM activists.

The Minister, who was unable to hold back her emotions at some of the replies from the activists who bore personal testimony to the suffering engendered by the illness, warmly thanked the Community of Sant’Egidio for their presence in Mozambique and above all the activists for their work with the sick and their excellent training.

At the end of the conference, the Minister underwent the test for HIV and invited the Ministry workers who so desired to do the same