How PLHIV won the war against stigma :: Mmegi Online

From the early years of the HIV/AIDS crisis, those who became infected found themselves stigmatised by the general society, ostracised and shunned. Today, health authorities credit the victory against stigma to the efforts of brave men and women who stood up to be counted. Mmegi Staff Writer, ZOLANI KRAAI reports

In 2003, the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) in collaboration with the Ministry of Education and Botswana Network of People Living with HIV/AIDS (BONEPWA+) introduced a pilot project that sought to engage people openly living with HIV to capacitate teachers and learners in primary schools with vital HIV/AIDS and treatment information.

The project, ‘Ringing the Bell’ aimed to help the ministry contend with teachers, among them HIV positive ones, who were not comfortable with openly teaching about HIV/AIDS. The partnership recruited 30 HIV+ individuals who were attached to primary schools across the country and helped learners with understanding HIV/AIDS and Antiretroviral Therapy (ART).

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