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Overcoming the stigma of HIV and AIDS: Bernard's story
Because of its association with behaviours some find
unacceptable,
HIV
infection is widely stigmatised (UNAIDS). Stigma and discrimination
inhibits those who know they are infected from sharing their diagnosis and
taking action to protect others and from seeking treatment and care for
themselves.
Experience shows that helping people living with HIV and AIDS get access to treatment, mutual support, and ways to get their voices heard at local and national levels is particularly effective in tackling stigma. Which is why DFID supports the creation of 'New Life' centres across Zimbabwe, which provide literally life-saving support, access to services, and a forum to meet others.
This approach is likely to help accelerate the huge progress Zimbabwe has enjoyed in the last couple of years in the fight against AIDS.
- The Guardian report:Dramatic
fall in Zimbabwe HIV infections (Feb, 2006)
- BBC coverage:£20m
for Zimbabwe AIDS programme (12 Oct, 2006)
'I
was bed-ridden with denial'
Meet Bernard, a 43 year-old father of five. It's hard to believe that only three years ago, he was bed-ridden and convinced that his life was over.
In 2002, he started to get sick. He'd heard of HIV and AIDS and suspected that he was infected. But, like 80% of Zimbabweans, he hadn't been tested.
But the stigma associated with AIDS in Zimbabwe meant that Bernard thought he was probably better off not knowing. In August 2006, Bernard said:
“I was bed-ridden with denial. I knew that people would have a problem accepting me, I thought that if I went out to get tested I would bring shame on my family. So I though it was better just to die. After all, I was going to die anyway.”
Bernard was bed-ridden for more than 18 months. Then his sister convinced him that he should go to the New Life centre in Harare's city centre to attend the weekly support group meeting for those living with HIV and AIDS.
He went along, and was amazed there were people who also had AIDS, openly discussing how they felt and what they wanted. They were clearly getting help, and getting on with their lives. The difference this made to his attitude toward his illness gave him courage and led him to help others by becoming a peer counsellor.
Bernard added: "To discover other people in this way gave me hope. Now I am a peer counsellor and other positive people ask me because they saw me in that state before - they can ask me questions because I have seen it all. They say, Bernard, how do I live?"
Attending the support group is how he met Rosa (pictured with Bernard above), who is also HIV-positive. They are now married and counsel others by leading support group meetings and condom demonstrations.
Key Facts
- Stigma still prevents many Zimbabweans from seeking out the services they need in order to learn their status, to live with their infection in a positive way, or to support their families. But the influence of stigma is decreasing.
- The availability of care and treatment is increasing in Zimbabwe, but
many HIV-positive people struggle to pay for transport to get that car or to
pay for the necessary medicines and laboratory tests they need. Zimbabwe'srecent economic
turbulence (BBC) has made this much harder
for most people.
- There are currently five New Life centres in Zimbabwe offering psychosocial support, adherence counselling, employer outreach and more. Assisted by new funding from DFID, there are plans to open at least 15 more New Life centres which, together, will reach more than 200,000 new clients by 2010.
- Turning the tide against HIV and AIDS is a top priority for DFID in Zimbabwe. Progress is being made. DFID will provide £20 million to a five year (2006-2010) behaviour change programme which is co-funded with USAID.
- Zimbabwe is one of only three countries in sub-Saharan Africa to experience a fall in adult HIV prevalence as indicated by a 5% drop in prevalence amongst women attending antenatal or postnatal clinics.
- 80% of Zimbabweans do not know their HIV status.