Kide Salumu Mbaga (24) is a male youth who lives with his parents at Kigandu
village, Mwakanshahala ward in Nzega DC. He was born and raised in the
community that values and respects culture, which led Kide Salumu Mbaga not to go
to school and kept on keeping and feeding herds of cattle. Thus, for the whole
twenty -four years he has been herding cattle and engaged on other agricultural
activities.
The Kide’s family has been moving from one place to another looking for green
pastures and water to feed their cattle. This contributed to Kide to fail to access
health education, he was raised without knowing that there is something called
circumcision. In recent days, Kide’s family subjected Kide as a grown-up man so he
cannot continue with taking care of cattle, instead he must join with his fellows at the
village and finally he has to establish his home. This was an opportunity for Kide to
start interactions with his peers. One day when he was with his fellows, came a
discussion about circumcision. Kide was shocked with that discussion because he
has never heard it before. He declared to his friends that he was not circumcised.
“I was shocked that my fellows laughed at me because I was uncircumcised and
later on, they started to isolate me” said Kide.
The isolation and the laughter made him feel like a person with impairment, so he
started looking for an alternative way to live alone without friends.
“While I was looking for the right way to keep myself away from friends, I heard that
there were dialogues in the village on health education, and it is all about male
youth. I was so eagerly to know more about those dialogues, but I was scared for
being uncircumcised, “added Kide.
One day, Kide Salumu Mbaga was one of the male youths invited to attend the small
group dialogues conducted at Kigandu village which was facilitated by Mlewa
Masoud a Peer Champion who created awareness to the male youth on importance
of Voluntary Medical Male Circumcision (VMCC) through Juma VMMC package. The
awareness he obtained from the dialogues relieved him from fear and decided to
start looking for VMMC services.
“Through the conversations with other young people, I discovered that there are
young people like me who were not circumcised, this situation encouraged me and
create desire to get this circumcision service quickly.” Said Kide.
“I did not think twice after completion of dialogues. I asked Mlewa Masoud to show
to tell me health facilities that offers circumcision services, Mlewa advised me to visit
at Ndala hospital and get VMMC services,” Kide added. After a week, Kide visited
Ndala hospital and received VMMC services. It is almost a month now since he was
circumcised. Kide recovered quickly and continues with his normal life happily with
confidence.