Georgette Belemsigri is over 100 years old and an active member at Vowogdo Epicenter in Burkina Faso. She is interviewed here by a staff member from THP-Burkina Faso during a recent campaign offering free HIV screening at the Vowogdo Epicenter health clinic.
Auntie, what is your name and age and where are you from?
Georgette Belemsigri: My name is Georgette Belemsigri, and I am 112 years old. I come from the village of Liguidimalguem and I’ve participated in [Vowogdo] Epicenter since it was created.
With my age, I am not as active as I was before. However, the mass medical visits at the epicenter really spoke to me. To demonstrate my commitment to the epicenter, I wanted to be present not only to get a health check-up, but also to relive the time in my life when I was on the Health Sub-Committee.
Furthermore, I also wanted to make my presence known and speak with the women and children of this new generation about taking care of their health. Imagine if, in the past, I hadn’t paid such attention to myself, I would not be among you at over 100 years old.
What does The Hunger Project do in terms of health in your epicenter?
GB: The Hunger Project leads awareness-raising activities for preventative health, about HIV/AIDS, and encourages people to come to the health center. In the fight against HIV/AIDS, beyond just workshops, it organizes free testing, like they had this morning.
The animators for health, nutrition and HIV/AIDS put in place by THP-Burkina in the villages contributed to improved health in the population. Today, I am the only person of my age alive at the epicenter, but thanks to THP-Burkina’s activities in terms of health, there will be hundreds of we 100-year-olds in the future.
Learn More
- Free HIV Screening in Burkina Faso
- THP-Burkina Faso
- Meet other partners in Africa, South Asia and Latin America
December 20, 2011