CURATED BY NIKI DE WITT

Thanks to Rwanda’s Ministry of Health’s HIV/AIDS prevention program, circumcision is in high demand among the country’s males. Unfortunately, due to a lack of doctors, it has become difficult to meet the demands for this exclusive procedure, turning circumcision into a symbol of social status, particularly among high school boys.

FROM SYFIA INTERNATIONAL/WORLDCRUNCH

BUGESERA – In Rwanda, circumcision has become trendy.

More and more young men have begun to have the procedure performed to limit the risks of HIV infection. The Ministry of Health launched its free male circumcision program in 2011, with a goal of medically circumcising 50% of men in two years as part of its HIV/AIDS prevention program.

Unfortunately there have been two drawbacks to this program. First, there is so much demand, that the Ministry of Health has been overwhelmed. In Rwanda, there are only two doctors for every 100,000 people. Second, it’s becoming apparent that many men do not know that being circumcised may only limit, not eliminate the risk, of being infected.

Prompted by the health and sex-related campaign, circumcision has also taken on a social appeal and status symbol. “We are always on the look-out, listening to the radio so we don’t miss announcements from the Rilima district board about the next circumcision campaign,” says Kamanzi, a student from the Rilima school, in the eastern Rwandese town of Bugesera. …Continue Reading

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