Dr. Elizabeth Kihika�Infectious Diseases Specialist, HIV Prevention Advocate, Programs Manager: Alive Medical Services

DIVERSITY, TOLERANCE AND EQUITY AT THE HEART OF THE HIV AIDS RESPONSE

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• Diversity: Different and multiple characteristics that make up individual and collective identities, including race, gender, age, religion, sexual orientation, ethnicity, national origin, socioeconomic status, language, and physical ability.
• Equity –identifying and removing the barriers that create disparities in the access to resources and means, and the achievement of fair treatment and equal opportunities to thrive. 
• Tolerance is the quality of allowing other people to say and do as they like, even if you do not agree or approve of it

Lets unpack this…..

Diversity, Tolerance, and Equity

• ICASA 2023 AIDS IS NOT OVER :Address inequalities, accelerate inclusion, and innovation: befitting reminder
• World AIDS DAY 2023:Let Communities lead.
• ‘Fight HIV based on Science and data’.
• How important is Diversity, Tolerance, and Equity in the fight against HIV?

The Landscape of HIV Today

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• Transformative Changes in HIV Landscape
• Progress from unknown to confident treatment era
• Botswana, Eswatini, Rwanda, the United Republic of Tanzania, and Zimbabwe had achieved the 95-95-95 targets by 2022.
• Acknowledgment of triumphs while recognizing persistent challenges

WHAT DOES THE SCIENCE /DATA SAY?:

53% of all the 39 million people living with HIV were women and girls.

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Weekly, 3100 AGYW 15-24 get infected with HIV

SSA, AGYW contributed 77% of new infections in young people aged 15-24 years among A

• Prevalence was higher among key populations:

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Women and girls accounted for 46% of the 1.3 million new infections in 2022.

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Global HIV & AIDS statistics — Fact sheet 2022

https://www.unaids.org/en/resources/fact-sheet

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The unseen battle in Africa

• Alexa is a 28 year old Transgender woman with a dream of being a world re-known make-up artist and hair dresser. She has been living with HIV for the past 5 years. Alexa was rejected by her family at 17 years, and has always relied on herself and friends, but COVID 19 caused her to lose her job as a hairdresser forcing her to join a shelter for support. As life was beginning to stabilize, she had to leave the shelter and her medicine behind running for her life when the neighbouring community came up in arms to evict them because they suspected them to be homosexuals. Thankfully she easily got a refill from her facility. She moved in with a friend and five days later she had to be admitted to treat her wounds having been assaulted by a mob organised by the friend who had seen her tin of ART. She couldn’t report to police for fear of the threats from the friend who was ready to disclose her being a transgender women. The horror stories Alexa had heard from her friends who had experienced arrests and inhumane exams forced her to keep her silence and move away. She had to survive on sex work for some weeks sleeping on the streets before she luckily got another shelter. Alexa today prefers to pick her refill in the night under the cover of darkness.

Alexa's Story

LEARNING FROM ALEXAS’ CASE

Intersectional challenges

• Rejected by family, lost job during COVID-19
• Evicted due to suspicion of homosexuality
• Assaulted, survived on sex work
• Challenges faced by many in marginalized communities

ELIANA’S STORY OF RESILIENCE

Eliana, a 19 year old young girl is an orphan from Namuwongo slum who contracted HIV through mother-to-child transmission. Insurmountable hardships, prejudice, and isolation marked her journey. Yet, Eliana refused to be defined by her condition. She empowered herself through education, obtaining accurate information about her health and transmitting that knowledge to others as a peer educator. Eliana went on to start a support group in her community, bringing hope to countless others who felt marginalized

Transformative power of equity in HIV

• Equity :individuals have equal access to HIV prevention, treatment, care, and support services, irrespective of their circumstances.
• Recognizes the unique needs and challenges faced by marginalized populations such as sex workers, men who have sex with men, transgender individuals, people with disability and people who use drugs

Inclusive Approach

• Client focus, integrity, love and dignity, innovativeness, teamwork, and excellence
• Embracing Diversity, Equity, and Tolerance through in-house trainings

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Path to an HIV-Free Generation

Tied to

• Diversity, Tolerance, and Equity.
• Collective responsibility to amplify voices, listen, and learn

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Celebrating Diversity

• Strength to be celebrated, not just a concept
• Inclusive strategies for diverse communities.
• Let communities lead

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Tolerance and Eradicating Stigma

• Cultivating an environment of acceptance
• Open dialogue replacing discrimination

Equity in Healthcare

• Access to prevention, treatment, and support as a universal right
• Championing policies for equal access
• Dismantling systemic barriers

Engaging in open conversations to challenge stereotypes and dispel myths

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Conclusion

• Shared commitment to diversity, tolerance, and equity
• Building a future where HIV is a beacon for unity and shared humanity

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THANK YOU