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100-Year-Old Partner Frequents Epicenter Health Clinic

December 20, 2011

belemsigri partner story.previewGeorgette 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.

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December 20, 2011