African Synergy At 20 : First Ladies Continue Humanitarian Crusade

From November 15 to 16, 2002 in Yoaunde, 17 First Ladies of Africa at the invitation of the First Lady of Cameroon, decided to pool their efforts to fight against HIV/AIDS. This gave birth to the Pan African non-governmental organisation, African Synergy Against AIDS and Suffering. Today, the humanitarian association of the African First Ladies is commemorating 20 years of selfless services to humanity. On the occasion of its 20th anniversary, the Executive Secretary of African Synergy, Jean Stépane Biatcha, in a press conference yesterday November 15, 2022, gave a retrospective view of the progress made by the association on the frontline in the fight against AIDS. The conference took place in the presence of the Minister, Deputy Director of the Civil Cabinet at the Presidency of the Republic, Oswald Baboke, the Director of State Protocol, Simon Pierre Bikele, the General Coordinator of CERAC, Dr Grace Dion Ngute and a host of medical doctors and staff who began the African Synergy journey with the First Ladies.
The Executive Secretary of African Synergy said African Synergy through the leadership of its Founding President, Mrs Chantal Biya and her sisters, First Ladies, in the next 20 years will continue the fight against the HIV scourge and embrace other health and social challenges. Thanks to the work of African First Ladies, the number of new infectious and AIDS-related deaths is steadily declining in Africa. Jean Stephane Biatcha also revealed that 20 years back, the number of AIDS-related deaths was estimated at nearly 2.5 million people. Today, it has dropped under one million. Also much progress has been made in eliminating mother-to-child transmission of HIV. With the emphasis laid on young people, programmes such as AIDS-Free Holidays, AIDS-Free Campus, My bet for 2030, continue to take place each year. Through the advocacy of the First Ladies of Africa, the «Chantal Biya" International Reference Centre for Research on Prevention and Management of HIV/AIDS (CIRCB) was created in 2006 with focus on the prevention and management of people living with HIV, hepatitis and tropical diseases.  
In spite of the achievements, Stephane Biatcha said this was not wit...