Prime Minister Erna Solberg of Høyre (H) attended the 30th anniversary of the Church Mission Center, Aksept, on Tuesday. The center was established for everybody affected by the HIV virus.
1,500 guests attended the anniversary celebration, which took place as part of ‘Oslo Pride’ in Aksept’s garden at Grünerløkka in Oslo. On the program, an outdoor concert with Else Kåss Furuseth was the headline act.
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Mayor Marianne Borgen, and City Council leader for Social Services, Inga Marte Thorkildsen, attended the event with the Prime Minister.
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‘There are 200 new cases of HIV in Norway detected every year. Therefore, events such as the anniversary concert are still important, to highlight and show solidarity with those affected’, said Secretary General of the Church Mission, Adelheid Firing Hvambsal, in his speech during the show.
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For the past three decades, the center has worked to help protect people living with the HIV virus, and those affected by the diagnosis in a myriad of other ways.
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In the early years, the center was at a secret address to protect users, and the work was about offering recreation, rehabilitation, or end of life hospice care.
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Today, Aksept is a resource center for knowledge, and conducts preventive work. They have an environmental officer, an outpatient clinic, and a 24-hour front service desk.
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‘With proper medication, HIV no longer takes life as it did 30 years ago. Today, it is said that the stigma of having HIV, and a lack of information are the biggest problems connected to HIV infection,’ said Ina Herrestad, the leader of Aksept.
© NTB Scanpix / Norway Today
