At the heart of the African Community is a woman we need to support!

“In sub-Saharan Africa, adolescent girls and young women are up to five times more likely to get HIV as young men, and HIV is the biggest killer among women of reproductive age in low- and middle-income countries,” said Michael Kirby, an HIV campaigner who also spoke at the opening ceremony at AIDS 2014 in July this year in Melbourne, Australia.

SAfAIDS includes all community members in its efforts to help Africa realise its sexual and reproductive health and rights and be free from the burden of HIV, TB and other related development health issues! 

At the heart of any African community there is a woman and it is from the heart that the Women's Treatment Literacy Toolkit was developed.

Stigma and discrimination disconnects the head and the heart!  

When this toolkit was launched in Zimbabwe in 2006 it reached 5000 urban and rural women in its first year! To boost its reach, media programmes were conducted (in English and local languages) discussing the issues and re-enacting the stories inside that range from getting tested, treatment and its effects on the body, as well as the importance of treatment buddies for good adherence and feelings of well-being.

Today the toolkit is available online from our website so you can share download them and share them on resource centre computers or print copies as needed for discussion and dissemination.

http://www.safaids.net/?q=node/20

SAfAIDS continues to encourage the wide and extensive application and dissemination of this publication within communities, civil society, religious sectors, policy making and legal fraternities, clinical practitioners, private sector and groups of people living with HIV and AIDS (PLWHA). Thanks must go to the original funding partners American Jewish World Services (AJWS) and ActionAid International. its lively cartoons and regional stories make it as relevant today as is was when it was produced. 

The colourful toolkit has since been translated into Shona and Ndebele, the vernacular languages used in Zimbabwe, and Portuguese for Lusophone speaking countries.

Interested in women’s treatment issues? Then get in touch, we will be happy to work with you to get this kit into your integrated health programmes across the region.

HIV is not a death sentence, we can move on and support those already infected to live happily and well. Our mothers, daughters, sisters and aunts are precious - let's support them!