Avoid HIV re-infection INSPIRATION: "We are

You could be thinking: “I already have HIV and don't masters to our choices but
need to protect myself. I can have unprotected slaves to our decision."
sex.” Wait a minute! You still need protection. Dr
Sabrina Kitaka of Paediatric Infectious Diseases
Clinic (PIDC) at Mulago, says: “You may get more
STDs like syphilis and gonorrhea or a pregnancy. You
could also get re-infected with other types of HIV.
There are different types of HIV. If you have HIV
type 1, which is common in
Uganda, you could get HIV
type 2. These types have many
sub types like A, B, C and D.
When you have more than one
type, your body weakens very
fast and may develop resistance
to ARVs. You may also develop
AIDS very fast. Don’t be a danger Students of Buhara SS, Kabale
to yourself and others." enjoy Straight Talk papers.

Safe male Circumcision

Reduces males' chances of getting HIV by 60% but it is not a cure

A
mong the Bamasaba
(Bagisu), if you are born a
boy, you can only become
a man after you have been
circumcised.
Marked every even year, the
Bamasaba circumcision ceremony
(imbalu) got underway at Mutoto
Cultural Centre in Mbale on August
6, 2010.
Candidates’ faces were smeared with
millet yeast. People danced to songs
encouraging candidates to face the
knife. Then, one brave boy came
into the middle of the chanting men.
After making his way through the
thick crowd, he jumped onto the
platform. Three ‘surgeons’ held shiny
traditional knives ready to cut the
foreskin.
In less than 10 seconds, they had cut
it and the boy now turned a man.
By 10am, some people were drunk.
Peke Charles Walimbwa, an
elder from Manafwa, says:
"Circumcision has been performed for
centuries. It is a sign of identification and
cleanness."
Recent studies done in Uganda,
Kenya and South Africa show that
medical male circumcision reduces
the chances of getting HIV by 60%.
"I was circumcised from Arua
Hospital. I read in the newspaper
that males who are circumcised
have fewer chances of getting HIV. I
talked to a doctor who told me that it
was true." Odama Millian, 16, S3,
Lomunga SS, Yumbe

A circumci-
sion candidate at Mu-
toto. Each circumcision year in "President Museveni said
%XJLVXLVQDPHGDIWHUDVLJQLÀFDQW in Mbale: "Circumcision is
event. In 1986 it was called Musev- good but don’t think your thing
eni because that is when he became has become a metal so you can
president.This year it is called Omukolon-
golo Omukakha/Nametsi because the have sex with anybody and HIV
%DPDVDDEDHOHFWHGWKHLUÀUVW2PXNXNKD won’t catch you. Aren’t there
(cultural leader) and Nametsi after the Bagisu who have AIDS but they
Bududa landslide that killed over 250 are circumcised? Cutting helps
people. Regardless of your culture or small time but the cure of AIDS
religion, studies show safe male
circumcision is good for all is to stop prostitution."
males.

BE PATIENT - Dr David Serwadda, Makerere

EXERCISE University School of Public Health
says: "Being circumcised does not
SELF CONTROL mean you can now sleep around
with every girl or woman. You still
have 40% chances of getting HIV
and high chances of infecting
your partner if you have HIV. Be
responsible. Behave like the man
you have become. Abstain from
sex, be faithful and use condoms
correctly every time you have sex."

6RHYHQLI\RXDUHFLUFXPFLVHGÀUVWJRIRUDQ+,9WHVWZLWK\RXUSDUWQHU

$GDP&DNX&OLQLFDORIÀFHU
"You still have 40% chances of
%DUDNDOD+&,, getting HIV and high chances of
infecting your partner if you have HIV."
2 Straight Talk, August 2010
Sharing circumcision stories
Male circumcision is the
surgical removal of the foreskin,
the tissue covering the head of
the penis.
In Straight Talk April, we asked you
to tell us your circumcision stories: If
you are circumcised or know anyone
who is circumcised? Why you got
circumcised and how you felt? We
received over 100 letters. Reasons
for circumcision
included Culture
cultural, Namama Isma,
religious,
18, Manafwa HS, says:
health
and peer
“In Bugisu to be a man,
pressure. you must be circumcised.
I demanded to be
circumcised in 2006. I
felt great after.”
Religion
My religion because his foreskin could
requires a boy to be not be smooth. The little cord
circumcised. I did it in (frenulum) underneath the glan
2007. Mubangizi Akim, was too tight. A doctor said
Kibatsi College, he had a condition called
Ntungamo Frenulum Breve. Masinde
Health
Circumcision is not part
of our culture. But I heard
that it reduces HIV risk, prevents
cancer of the penis, cancer of
cervix, urinary tract infection and
improves personal hygiene.
Yada Tairi, 18, S4, Nyai
SS, Koboko
DR OLIVE SENTUMBWE,
FROM THE WORLD HEALTH
ORGANISATION, SAYS: Safe Male
Circumcision is also recommended if
any of the following conditions apply:
• TIGHT FORESKIN
I was circumcised because my foreskin
was too tight and could not slide
The diary
of a young
positive:
PREGNANCY COST
ME A RELATIONSHIP
Sonia is 24 years. She shares
her story of living with HIV.
The first time she had sex she
got pregnant and also HIV.
In the July Straight Talk, Sonia
talked about a guy who loved
her deeply despite her status.
"His love gave me strength and
hope. We agreed to do an HIV
test together. He tested negative.
Anyway, he chose to be with me.
I became pregnant again...my
third pregnancy and second with
him.
back. Ebong Juma, S6, Soroti SS.
This condition is called Phimosis.
• FORESKIN TRAPPED
My foreskin gets trapped when
pulled back and cannot return
to its original location without
force. Ojambo Julius, S3, Busia
SS. This condition is called
Paraphimosis.
• PAINFUL GLAN
The front part of my penis would
hurt when touched. I would also feel
a lot of pain when urinating. Since
I was circumcised I have not had a
problem. Okurut N Tom, 18, S3,
Kamod Township SS, Soroti.
Nathan's condition is called
balanoposthitis.
• ROUGH FORESKIN
friend was circumcised
, Masaba College fre
• FORESKIN,
GLAN TEAR
I had unprotected sex
and afterward I started feeling
pain. When I looked at my penis, it
was bleeding. I went to the hospital
and the doctor said I must be
circumcised to avoid that problem.
Wabwire Edrine, Masaba
College, Busia
I had stopped working and my
boyfriend had just got a job. I
had many cravings. Whenever I
asked him to buy what I felt like
eating, he got angry. He even
said the pregnancy was not his.
I tried to be patient but by the
third month the pressure was too
much. I ended the relationship."
SONIA IS HAPPY
THAT SOME OF
YOU ARE ALREADY
WRITING TO HER.
Richard, from Kampala
wrote: Dear Sonia, I recently
tested HIV positive. I
• ITCHY FORESKIN
My foreskin used to itch so much. When Fear of losing
I was taken to the hospital, the doctor a girlfriend
said I should be circumcised. My penis My girlfriend almost
is now OK. Thembo Wilfred, Kibatsi got married to another boy
Technical Institute, Ntungamo because I was not circumcised.
I was annoyed and decided to get
• TOO MUCH SMEGMA circumcised. I felt a lot of pain but
There is a lot of white stuff like posho I had to be a man. Masabasi
under my foreskin and it smells badly. Henry, 15, S1, Jesus is Alive
Even if I wash my penis clean, I find Ministry Christian HS,
it there the next day. O o
Isaac, Agwata SS, Peer pressure
Dokolo
My friends used to laugh at
The posho-like
me because I was not circumcised.
stuff is smegma. If
I suggested to my parents and they
you cannot keep
took me to the clinic. Walimbwa D,
it under control,
it is better to be Mbale HS
circumcised.
Sexual satisfaction
I was circumcised because I heard that a
circumcised penis satisfies girls better. I discovered
it myself when I had sex with a girl and she felt a lot of
sweetness. Ouma Godfrey, Lumino HS, Busia.
ED: Sex is in the mind. Satisfaction depends on
how you feel about your partner and not
whether he is circimcised or not.
BAMAS
A ABA CUT:
Three traditional surgeons
DWWHQGWRDFDQGLGDWH7KHÀUVW
surgeon pours brick dust on penis
to increase friction for proper
handling of the penis. The second
surgeon cuts off the foreskin.
The third surgeon removes the
inner foreskin. An egg york is then
immediately poured on the raw
wound (penis) to stop bleeding.
collapsed. But after reading
your story, I got inspired. Be
my friend and share ideas
about living positively.
Hi Richard, thanks for being
strong to test for HIV. It is good Winners of
you are beginning to accept
your status and finding someone
to support you. Live positively:
circumcision quiz
Twenty writers of the
letters published in
• Visit the doctor regularly for this paper win a won-
check ups, •sleep under a derful copy of Gifted
treated mosquito net to avoid Hands or The Color
malaria, •drink boiled water Purple.
and eat nutritious foods like
The rest of writers
beans, fruits vegetables, eggs,
milk and fish. •Rest
with published letters
win beautiful Straight
• Do exercises like walking, Talk T-shirts.
• Talk to people and do things
that make you happy so long
as they are not a risk to you
and others. Straight Talk
• If you are sexually active,
use condoms correctly every
gives out
time you have sex to avoid BOOKS
re-infection or infecting your because readers ar
partner.
leaders. Sharpen
your understanding
QUESTIONS
DO YOU HAVE nd them to of the world by
FOR SO N IA ? Se
. reading a book
6, Ka mpala
PO BOX, 2236 during your free tim

Watch the risks
Like Bamasaba, the Sabiny,
Bakonzo and Bamba tribes in
Uganda practice circumcision to
initiate boys into manhood. Many
things happen including serious
risks as you say in your stories.
RAPED
I know of a girl who came to an
isolation camp where the circumcised
candidates were healing from. She
had sex with more than four boys.
She cried but nobody could help her
because she had gone there by herself.
SHARED A KNIFE
I was circumcised locally with
five other boys. The 'surgeon'
used one knife to circumcise
all of us. Now I know it is
dangerous to share a knife.
Husulube Awali, 23,
Mbale Progressive School
GRABBED AND
CUT BADLY
I did not like the way I was
handled. The man who
circumcised me came home. I was
asked to greet him. When I entered
the house, he held me tight. I made an
alarm but my father told me to keep
quiet. It was very painful. I bled so
much and I was admitted in hospital
for three weeks. Kabagambe Ali, 17,
S3, Bright Academy SS, Kasese
PAIN
Bamasaba believe that circumcision
pain shows that a boy has now
become a man who should not fear
any problems in life. But many of
you, though proud of your culture,
expressed great fear about the pain.
I was circumcised at home. I was
injected some pain killer but still felt a
MAKE IT SAFE
Circumcision
is best done in
hospital to reduce
risks of infections
and pain.
BUT if you plan to
be circumcised the
traditional way,
make it safe.
NO two persons should
share a circumcision knife,
even if they are brothers, to
avoid spreading HIV.
STAMINA: A LVFLUFXPFLVHGDW
VWDQGVÀUPDVKHin Mbale
Mutoto Grounds
lot pain behind my head. Tibesigwa
Milton, 23, Karusandara SS,
Kasese
“I heard that circumcision reduces
the risk of HIV by 60% but I am not
circumcised because I fear pain.”
Niwashaba Brian, S2, Bwambara
Modern Vocational SS, Rukungiri
ED: Go for the medical
circumcision. It is less painful.
Dr Mariam Nabwire, Rakai
Health Sciences Programme says
medical circumicion procedure
takes a short time.
•
The doctor cleans around the
foreskin.
Rape and casual sex
are common during
circumcision season.
Avoid night imbalu
dances. You may be
raped.
Straight Talk, August 2010 3
DEFILED
Nabugisu Faridah, 17, Nabumali
HS, Mbale, says: "In 2008, one of our
neighbour's daughter was raped by
a group of unknown boys when she
went dancing kadodi (special cultural
dance for Bagisu). She later tested HIV
positive."
VIOLENCE
Samuel T, Manafwa HS, says:
"During traditional circumcision.
women abandon their husbands
for kadodi. When they return, their
husbands beat them seriously.
Husbands think they have gone for
sex."
EXPENSIVE
Kubai Alex, from Kapchorwa
cannot forget the high cost of the
ceremony. "Before the circumcision
day, we danced till morning. A cow
and several goats and chicken were
slaughtered. Parties were organized and
brave young man
people got drunk. I stopped going to
school for lack of school fees. All resources
had been used up. I think medical male
circumcision is safe, less painful and
• Injects medicine around the penis cheaper.”
so you don't feel pain.
NO PRIVACY
• The foreskin is removed using a
surgical blade. "I know of boys who were circumcised
• The wound is stitched for quick because of culture. They said they felt
healing. a lot of pain and also ashamed. It was
• A small bandage is wrapped done in public with their relatives and
around the wound to prevent friends watching." Akareut Bertha,
germs and dirt. ST Elizabeth SS
• Before you leave the hospital a Kidetok,
nurse checks you to ensure Serere
HE
you can urinate properly and
CHOSE HOSPTIAL
bleeding has stopped.
CIRCUMCISION TO
CASUAL SEX REDUCE RISKS
In 2005, my parents told me that I was
NS, 16, S1, Manafwa
HS, I lost my virginity going to be circumcised the following
during this year's year (2006). I asked them where? I was
Imbalu. I was at Mutoto happy when they said in the hospital. They
grounds for two nights said in the traditional circumcision there
were high chances of spreading infections
dancing and I had sex
with unknown person. like HIV and causing injuries. So in December
2006 during the holidays, I was taken to St
Ambrose Medical Centre in Mbale.
But the Christmas that year was not good
because of the pain.
Wagibuku David, Jinja College
Many other bamasaba parents
have chosen the hospital
cut for safety of their
sons.
Say no to early sex and
marriage. Stay in school.
In the past, boys married
soon after circumcision.
Today, it is different. It takes 7 to
10 days for a penis to heal after
circumcision. To prevent infections
and swelling, gently clean the penis
with a piece of clean cloth or cotton
using warm water twice a day.
Contact a health worker if
you notice: • Persistent bleeding
• Increasing redness, swelling •
Fever • Discharge • Pus filled blisters
• Not urinating normally within 12
hours after circumcision.
Avoid drinking alcohol.
It may lead to risky If you are sexually active,
behaviour like unprotected abstain from sex to allow the
sex.” penis to heal. You can have
sex again after 6 weeks.
4 Straight Talk, August 2010
Dear
STF
O. Box 223 66
P.P.O. Bo x 223A66
M P A L
K AM P A L A
K A
At what age is a boy able to make
a girl pregnant? Tumusiime
Medard, St Joseph Vocational
School, Mbarara
Dear Medard, sex is not like driving
or voting. There is no age at which it
can happen. If a girl has unprotected
sex with a boy, regardless of his age,
a girl can get pregnant. Age is not a
sure way of determining if a boy is
able to make a girl pregnant. You are
still a student, focus on your studies
and wait to have sex. You will enjoy
sex when you are old enough to
have a family with a right partner.
I lost a sister I loved so much.
When I am a lone, I always think
of her. Sometimes I dream about
her and find myself crying. How
can I forget the sweet memories
of my late sister? Akello Rehema,
Kakungulu HS, Luweero
Dear Rehema, sorry for the loss of
your sister. One month is too short to
forget the people we loved but have
left us. Her memories are still with
you. Try not to isolate yourself. Be
with the people you love and engage
yourself in activities like games to
occupy your mind. Pray to God to
give you strength to move on.
Advice 2 BJ
In Straight Talk May, BJ said:
“I stay in a leaking grass
thatched hut. When it rains, we
shift things from one corner to
another. My father now wants
me to get married to his friend
who has promised to build him
a better house. I don’t want to
get married. What can I do?”
Amase Catherine, Dabani Girls
SS, Busia, says: “BJ, my sister
faced a similar problem.
We lived in a small
leaking house just like
yours. When she
finished S4 there
was no money
for A’level. One
day a smartly
dressed man
who looked rich
came home and
wanted to marry
my sister. Our
dad was sweet
talked and accepted
but my sister said NO and
she really meant it. My father was
like he will tell every relative not to
STRAIGHT TALK FOUNDATION
Executive Director: J Wiltshire, Director Print: T Agutu, Editorial Manager: M Akello, Editors: F Ouma, P Kiwuuwa, J Abongowath, J Nafula, Chief Designer: M. eB Kalanzi,
Designers: GB Mukasa, AB Dentine, Funded byy CSF,
They say that if you don’t grow
pubic hair you are not normal.
Is it true? Gashumba Peter,
Nabumali HS, Mbale
No, it’s not true. You are normal
because you are still growing. When
you reach puberty you will see many
body changes and one of them
will be pubic hair. Different people
experience these body changes at
different times.
Am addicted to masturbation
and pornography. I have been
doing it for three years. How do
I overcome this problem. Boy,
Wakiso School of the Deaf
Boy, it is good you realise you
have a serious problem. First, stop
watching pornography immediately.
Also avoid being idle. Engage in
productive activities like sports,
reading good books and making
good friends.
Students of St Francis SS, Masaka (above) and Albert Valley College
School, Bundibugyo (below) read Straight Talkk papers to sharpen their COUNSELLOR:
understanding of sex and responsibility. Magomu Stella, Centre for
Transforming Generations
Please
advise
One day, my stylish chic
visited me unexpectedly and
demanded for sex. When I told
her that I was not prepared
she insisted while heating me
with the romance. I don’t want
to annoy or lose my girlfriend.
What should I do to satisfy
her without having sex? CB,
Rukaka Peer Club, Busia
How circumcision works
pay for her school fees. But one
of our uncles ignored him and
paid for my sister. She is now a
doctor at Kenyatta Hospital in
Kenya and happily married. She is
supporting all of us, including our
father. So BJ, talk to some of your
responsible relatives for help.” High number of germs, including those that cause e
CD4 cells Sexually Transmitted Diseases. By y
Nakabugo Rose and Najjingo removing the foreskin, you remov ve
The inner part of the forskin can
Sarah, S1, St Elibabeth Girl’s take up HIV virus more easily than the part of the penis that is most
SSS, Mityana, say: “BJ, you are open to allow HIV enter your bod dy.
any other parts of the penis. This is
still a little a girl. If you were a boy because of a high number of special Circumcision also allows the head d
who would he sell into marriage? cells that HIV targets to enter into of the penis (glans) to harden and
Don’t get married because that th
he body. These cells are called CD4 become tougher. This reduces the
will not end your father’s ce
ells. During sex when the foreskin chances of breaking and allowing
poverty.” rolls off the tip of the penis, these
ro HIV to enter the body of a male
cells are exposed to the virus. person through unprotected sex.
Nanyonjo Oliver,
12, S1, Central Soft like the No cure yet
inside of an eye However, circumcision does not
School, Hoima and cure HIV. If you are circumcised,
Giz Qadiru, S1, Also, the inner part of the foreskin
is soft like the inside of an eye, nose, continue to abstain from sex, be
Maluku, SS, Mbale, faithful to your partner and use
say: “BJ, your father or mouth. It has greater chances of
breaking during sex. This provides condoms correctly every time you
is wrong. Don’t get have sex. Remember if you are
a door
d for HIV to enter the body
married to that old circumcised, you still have 40%
eaasily.
man. You do not chances of getting HIV and higher
know his HIV status. Foreskin keeps chances of spreading it to your
Ask close relatives partner.
the glan wet
to stop him from The foreskin also keeps the head of Dr Alex Opio,
forcing you into early Ministry of Health
the penis
p wet and good for many
marriage. If he doesn’t listen,
report him to police.” It takes 7-10 days for the outer wound to
heal after circumcision. However, complete
healing usually takes 6 weeks (42days)
4 Acacia Ave, PO Box 22366, Kampala (U) Tel:
T 0312-262030/1, E-mail: info@straight-talk.or.ug, Web: www.straight-talk.or.ug, President: C Watson,
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