New campaign to get community talking to tackle HIV pandemic
A new campaign called ‘Do it right’ has been launched by The African HIV Policy Network (AHPN) to raise awareness of HIV within African and Caribbean communities.
The national charity launched this new drive at their annual conference focusing on tackling HIV within African communities entitled ‘Under the Baobab Tree’. This new iniative comes as the Health Protection Agency released it latest figures on HIV diagnosis which shows that an estimated 6,840 new HIV diagnoses were reported in 2007 in the United Kingdom.
While over a third to these new cases are among gay men, there is increasing concern among health experts and community leaders as African communities continue to be disproportionately affected, with 2690 cases diagnosed among those infected heterosexually. A third of people from the community still continue to be unaware of their HIV status the AHPN have found.
Commenting on the latest figures Angelina Namiba, programme leader at AHPN said: ‘we must double our efforts to raise awareness of HIV within African communities so that people can take charge of their sexual health and our new campaign ‘Do it right,’ is a key part of that’.
The campaign responds to some of the gender issues that make people vulnerable to contracting HIV. Through promotional materials, a DVD called ‘Kobana stories’.
The AHPN are holding workshops throughout England promoting open conversations about sexual health needs and rights.
Speaking at the AHPN conference, Professor Paul Hunt, the UN Special Rapporteur on the right to the highest attainable standard of health, told delegates: ‘The right to the highest attainable standard of health is one of the best kept secrets in the United Kingdom.
The Government has an international legal obligation to respect this fundamental human right. The right empowers women and men to take control of their sexual health and access the healthcare that they need to survive.’
In 2008 AHPN will have outreach workers to go into community settings, faith settings, African businesses, pubs and clubs, and other places where African people congregate to increase their knowledge of HIV and how they can seek advice on testing, treatment and support services.
‘Promoting partnerships and bringing communities together to share good practice is crucial in HIV prevention. African organisations have been instrumental in raising awareness of HIV. However, we need to set our goals higher and reach more people with HIV prevention messages in the places they congregate,’ Dr. Max Sesay, Chief Executive of the AHPN said.
The charities out reach workers will encourage discussions on condom use and safer sex as talking about these issues and HIV is the key to curbing infection rates.
‘We can all do this in our diverse settings. It is also the way forward in fighting the stigma in our communities. If we know the facts about HIV, we will not be afraid to talk about it, we will be able to keep ourselves healthy and we will about to support people living with HIV,’ Angelina Namiba.
The African HIV Policy Network (AHPN) is an umbrella body of mostly African-led community based organisations that enables Africans to speak with a collective and representative voice on matters of HIV and sexual health.
By Zephaniah Samuels
hblackmentalhealth.org.uk
