USAID Efforts to Involve People Living with HIV/AIDS
People living with HIV/AIDS have a critical
role to play in designing and implementing HIV/AIDS prevention
and care programs. The involvement of persons living with
HIV/AIDS can make programs more effective, appropriate,
and meaningful:
- Prevention messages delivered by people living with
the infection are a powerful voice on behalf of behavior
change and help reduce fear and stigma.
- Involvement in HIV/AIDS programs benefits persons living
with HIV/AIDS by reducing their isolation and empowering
them to make a difference.
- Organizations that involve people living with HIV/AIDS
in prevention and
care programs
reap many benefits, including better information about
the needs of affected communities and increased credibility
with the community.
Programs or organizations seeking to
involve people living with HIV/AIDS in their activities face
a number of challenges:
- Stigma and discrimination can make it difficult for
a person to disclose his or her HIV status or become actively
involved in community HIV/AIDS activities.
- Organizations may be unprepared to involve persons living
with HIV/AIDS, especially at the decision-making level.
- People living with HIV/AIDS who wish to become involved
in programs may need to develop new skills such as advocacy
or counseling.
The U.S. Agency for International Development
played a major role in supporting the Greater Involvement
of People Living with HIV/AIDS Initiative in 1994. Since then,
USAID programs have been working to create an environment
in which persons living with and affected by HIV/AIDS are
comfortable coming forward as educators, community mobilizers,
and active participants in community and country programs.
Creating a supportive environment requires overcoming stigma
and discrimination, improving the management, advocacy, and
outreach abilities of HIV/AIDS organizations, and learning
more about how best to involve persons living with HIV/AIDS
in community-based organizations.
USAID activities include:
- Publication of a Directory
of Networks of People Living with HIV/AIDS [PDF, 2.8MB]. This directory
shares information on these groups from across the African
continent, and is designed to promote information sharing
and collaboration among the organizations. USAID will
publish a global directory of groups for People Living
with HIV/AIDS in July 2002.
- A USAID study examined how organizations and programs
involve persons living with HIV/AIDS in their prevention
and care activities and what kind of effects such involvement
has on the organization, the community, and the individual.
The findings of this study had an immediate impact on
the participating community-based organizations and have
helped inform the design and implementation of similar
studies in other countries.
- In Zambia, the USAID mission worked with the Network
of Persons Living with HIV/AIDS to strengthen their organization.
To create a more supportive environment, USAID also supported
a media campaign on HIV, human rights, and workplace issues.
- In the Dominican Republic, USAID supports networks for
persons living with HIV/AIDS which provide legal and social
assistance, training on the national AIDS law, medical
and psychological services, and educational programs.
These networks have reached 5,000 beneficiaries and developed
19 self-help groups for persons living with HIV/AIDS.
- A regional activity in Asia is promoting the rights
and greater involvement of people living with HIV/AIDS
in prevention, care, and outreach activities, supporting
networks for people living with HIV/AIDS, and providing
media and project management training to such organizations.
The networks that have received assistance are providing
much-needed support to people living with HIV/AIDS, such
as access to appropriate health care and advocacy at the
national and local levels to reduce stigma and discrimination.
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