Posts Tagged ‘AIDS’
IDEX partner PWN campaigns for AIDS awareness in South Africa
December 1st marks World AIDS Day, and the significant decrease in global HIV rates indicates that the fight against AIDS is producing results.
According to U.N. statistics, new infections have fallen by 20 percent over the last decade, and infection rates have stabilized or slowed in nearly all countries in Sub-Saharan Africa. And although the number of HIV-positive people in South Africa is the highest in the world—about 5.7 million—the amount of new HIV infections in the country have decreased by more than one third.
This tremendous news is a reminder of how education, awareness, and improved access to HIV treatment options are among the most effective weapons in the global battle against HIV/AIDS.
Continued education and awareness are especially crucial in South Africa. Despite a gradual change in attitudes over the years, HIV/AIDS still carries a stigma that prevents many people from coming forward and seeking treatment.
Not surprisingly, a recent article for South Africa’s Health-e news agency reports that “AIDS-related stigma is still rife in South Africa, causing many people to suffer in silence.” Such shame often results in the decision to reject testing or treatment.
Recently, countrywide government initiatives have been implemented in the hopes of breaking down the stigma. In April, the Health Department and the South African National AIDS Council kicked off a yearlong campaign to test 15 million citizens for HIV by 2011.
“The purpose is to promote openness and to eradicate the silence and stigma that accompanies this epidemic,” South African President Jacob Zuma announced at the campaign’s start. See the news release here.
IDEX-partner Positive Women’s Network (PWN) has also made impressive strides in combating the stigma associated with HIV/AIDS.
Founded in 1996 by Prudence Mabele, PWN operates in townships outside of Johannesburg to provide support to HIV-positive women and to raise awareness within the greater community. A prominent AIDS activist, Mabele was one of the first women in South Africa to publicly disclose her HIV-positive status.
Years after Mabele’s bold gesture, PWN continues to encourage other HIV-positive women to “come out” about their HIV status and form support groups to address discrimination. The group also provides resources regarding access to treatment and Anti-Retroviral drugs, outreach on accurate HIV/AIDS information and strategies for supporting orphaned and vulnerable children.
On July 12, the United Nations Development Fund honored PWN with a Red Ribbon award in recognition of PWN’s outstanding community leadership and action on AIDS.
At IDEX, we are proud to support PWN’s essential work in South Africa. And while it is encouraging to read reports that infection rates are falling in the country, we also know that we have a long way to go. AIDS remains an urgent and deadly problem in South Africa, but thanks to the work of our partner, allies, and philanthropic supporters, we have the ability to continue to fight it.
To learn more about how PWN helps women in South Africa, please see our focus story on Gladys Nikelo.
Blog post by Erin Zaleski, Journalist & IDEX Volunteer.
December 1, is World Aids Day and with GlobalGiving’s matching grant program there has never been a better time to donate to IDEX partner, Positive Women’s Network (PWN), in South Africa.
PWN provides HIV-positive women with: women-led support groups to address stigma; grief counseling; workshops on treatment literacy, reproductive health and nutrition; and opportunities for income-generating projects. These are women like Gladys, who turned to PWN for support and now looks to a brighter future.
PWN and their founder, Prudence Mabele, are featured in UNAIDS Outlook 2010. See the full presentation here.
Donate now to PWN via IDEX’s funding partner GlobalGiving and take advantage of matching funds available. The matching challenge ends on Dec 1 so give now.
