Health Ministry to launch National Condom Campaign initiative at 63 sites around Fiji

The Ministry of Health will be launching the National Condom Campaign initiative at 63 strategically chosen sites across the country in a bid to encourage people to practice safe sex and use condoms.

This was revealed by the Assistant Minister for Health Penioni Ravunawa while speaking at the launch of the National Condom Campaign initiative at the Suva Civic Centre today.

Ravunawa says the sites that they have chosen have been identified based on their accessibility and their potential to reach diverse demographics.

He says among these sites are 18 educational institutions, which include 13 campuses of the Fiji National University and 5 for USP facilities.

He adds that establishing a presence in our educational institutions is crucial, as it allows the Ministry’s trained teams to engage with youths, providing them not only with the tools they need to protect themselves but also with the knowledge to navigate their personal experiences safely and confidently.

While speaking to fijivillage News, Peer Educator for Rainbow Pride Fiji Sairusi Fulalo says the condom campaign aims to address the alarming rise in HIV cases in Fiji over the past few months.

Fulalo says they are trying to bring back this initiative so that they try to educate youths on how safe it is to have sex while using condoms.

When asked about the challenges the organisation face in this campaign, Fulalo says the main challenge is being turned away by motels and some other places they want to go and install dispensers.

Meanwhile, people turned out in numbers this morning for the National Condom Campaign Day which started off with a march from Flea Market to the Suva Civic Centre.

Fiji has declared a HIV outbreak after recording 1,093 new cases between January to September last year.