#InSpiteOf, a social media campaign featuring the right of women living with HIV in eastern Europe and central Asia to live with dignity and respect, has reached more than a million people.

Each of the #InSpiteOf Instagram stories showed a different aspect of women living with HIV and challenged the stereotypes and myths that surround the virus. The stories focused on testing and treatment, motherhood and the adoption of children by people living with HIV, disclosing one’s HIV status to partners and children, enjoying the right to work, living with HIV in custody, being a migrant living with HIV, violence and drug abuse, and contributing to HIV education and prevention.

A common feature of all the women featured in the campaign is that they were supported at a critical time in their lives by their loved ones, women’s organizations or communities and are now not only living with HIV and challenging society’s stereotypes, but helping others.

“Mutual support, women’s leadership in preventing violence, protecting rights and dignity, and combating stigma and discrimination have always been and remain one of the most important aspects in countering the HIV epidemic,” said Svetlana Moroz, Chair of the Eurasian Women's Network on AIDS.

On the eve of World AIDS Day 2019, Odnoklassniki, one of the Russian Federation’s most popular social networks, hosted a live event in support of the #InSpiteOf campaign. Celebrities such as the singer Zara, Irina Starshenbaum, Lyubov Aksyonova and others voiced their support for the campaign and read poems, accompanied by music played by Anton Sevidov of the band Tesla Boy. Vera Brezhneva, the UNAIDS Goodwill Ambassador for Eastern Europe and Central Asia, also attended the event, at which she stressed the importance of speaking honestly and openly about HIV and ensuring that people get the treatment and support they need.

“Be sure to listen and share #InSpiteOf stories! They are not only about one’s right to live with dignity, to love and to be happy. They are also about these women’s amazing power, spirit and will to live despite all odds. Each one of us has her own #InSpiteOf challenge, so let us support those who made it and let us inspire those who still doubt their power,” said Ms Brezhneva.

“Gender norms and taboos regarding sexual and reproductive life, as well as gender-based violence, increase women’s risk of HIV infection. Then, after being diagnosed with HIV, women face stigma and discrimination, hide their status and do not seek help. This vicious circle can only be broken with the women themselves, their mutual support and leadership, as well as a change in society’s attitude to HIV and the people it affects,” said Elena Kiryushina, Gender Focal Point at the UNAIDS Regional Support Team for Eastern Europe and Central Asia. 

The campaign was developed by the UNAIDS Regional Support Team for Eastern Europe and Сentral Asia jointly with the Eurasian Women’s Network on AIDS.

Juliana Atieno volunteers in her local health facility as a mentor mother, providing advice and support to pregnant women newly diagnosed with HIV. She is also a passionate advocate for survivors of gender-based violence and works to ensure that they receive the support and care they deserve, including by linking them to HIV prevention and treatment services. 

Ms Atieno, who is 29 years old and a survivor of gender-based violence, was diagnosed with HIV as a teenager, in 2008, when she was already very ill. She was linked to treatment immediately and today she is healthy and the mother of two young boys, aged two years and nine years, both born free of HIV. Her partner is also HIV-negative. The family lives in the Kiambiu informal settlement, near Nairobi.

On the eve of the launch of UNAIDS’ new report, Power to the people, Ms Atieno told the UNAIDS Executive Director, Winnie Byanyima, how much her work means to her.

“I love my work encouraging young women and girls to get tested for HIV, to take treatment if they need to and to adhere to it so that they can stay healthy and give birth to babies free of HIV,” she says. “I tell them not to worry, that if I made it through, then they can too.”    

Women and girls like Ms Atieno are the backbone of care support in their families and communities, providing unpaid and often undervalued work in caring for children, the sick, the elderly and the disabled and underpinning fragile social support systems. The involvement and leadership of women like Ms Atieno is critical in the response to HIV.  

“Whenever I meet women like Juliana, I am moved and inspired by their courage and resilience,” said Ms Byanyima. “It’s clear that when women like Juliana have power and agency, real and positive change flows to their families and to their wider communities.”

Ms Byanyima’s meeting with Ms Atieno coincided with the beginning of the 16 days of activism campaign against gender-based violence.

GENEVA, 11 October 2019—There are approximately 1.1 billion girls in the world today. The largest generation of girls in human history. A formidable and unprecedented new generation of young women are demanding action and accountability on the many issues affecting them, from climate change to girls’ education, gender equality, ending early, forced and child marriage, menstrual health and eliminating gender-based violence.

On the International Day of the Girl Child, which this year runs under the theme “GirlForce: unscripted and unstoppable”, UNAIDS reaffirms the imperative to empower, invest in and engage adolescent girls and young women in shaping the AIDS response and the broader health and development agendas.

“Gender inequality, harmful gender norms and the epidemic of gender-based violence continue to block millions of girls from exercising their rights and reaching their full potential,” said Gunilla Carlsson, UNAIDS Executive Director, a.i. “Investing in the empowerment, rights and health of adolescent girls is one of the most important investments of our time.”

Multiple and intersecting sociocultural, economic and health issues heighten girls’ and young women’s vulnerability to HIV, with the most socially and economically marginalized girls and young women most affected by the epidemic. In 2018, every week around 6000 adolescent girls and young women (aged 15–24 years) were newly infected with HIV. Most of the new infections were in sub-Saharan Africa, where four out of five young people aged 15–19 years who became infected with HIV were female.

In addition, gender inequalities and gender-based violence are forcing thousands of girls into marriage and motherhood. Worldwide every year, 12 million girls under the age of 18 years are married and every day 20 000 girls under the age of 18 years give birth in developing countries. Early marriage often means that girls find it difficult to negotiate safer sex within the marriage, making them especially vulnerable to HIV and other sexually transmitted infections.

The bold targets of the 2016 United Nations Political Declaration on Ending AIDS and the UNAIDS 2016–2021 Strategy uphold the empowerment of women and girls, rights and gender equality as imperatives to ending AIDS and achieving the Sustainable Development Goals. UNAIDS urges all countries to seize the opportunity to unleash the power and potential of this generation of girls.

UNAIDS

The Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) leads and inspires the world to achieve its shared vision of zero new HIV infections, zero discrimination and zero AIDS-related deaths. UNAIDS unites the efforts of 11 UN organizations—UNHCR, UNICEF, WFP, UNDP, UNFPA, UNODC, UN Women, ILO, UNESCO, WHO and the World Bank—and works closely with global and national partners towards ending the AIDS epidemic by 2030 as part of the Sustainable Development Goals. Learn more at unaids.org and connect with us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube.

The United States’ PEPFAR program, the George W. Bush Institute, Merck and UNAIDS are aiming to end AIDS and cervical cancer in Sub-Saharan Africa within a generation through an innovative public-private partnership

NEW YORK, 25 September 2019—On the margins of the 2019 United Nations General Assembly, former President George W. Bush and Ambassador Deborah L. Birx announced that the Go Further partnership to end AIDS and cervical cancer has reached over half a million HIV-positive women with cervical cancer screening and treated thousands of women for pre-invasive cancerous lesions in its first year. The partnership aims to reduce new cervical cancer cases by 95 percent among the estimated 3.8 million HIV-positive women who live in eight high-burden African countries.

At the Bloomberg Global Business Forum, President Bush, Mrs. Laura Bush, and Ambassador Birx met with His Majesty King Mswati III of Eswatini, The Right Honourable Dr. Thomas Thabane of Lesotho, His Excellency President Peter Mutharika of Malawi, The Honorable Michael Bloomberg, CEO of Bank of America Brian Moynihan, and others.

"We strongly believe that by helping these leaders save lives in their countries it makes the world a better place and makes America more secure," President Bush said. "We have many leaders here all of whom are taking the lead, all of whom are responsible, all of whom are measuring results. It's important for the American people to know that the results are astounding."

"The future of each of your countries depends on all of your citizens—men and women—taking care of their health," Mrs. Bush added.

“Go Further is helping women in Africa to lead longer, healthier lives,” said Ambassador Birx, M.D., United States Global AIDS Coordinator and Special Representative for Global Health Diplomacy, who leads PEPFAR. “By leveraging the robust health care delivery platforms in Africa strengthened through over $85 billion in total U.S. government global HIV/AIDS investments, we will protect millions of HIV-positive mothers, daughters, aunts, and grandmothers—who are alive and thriving with HIV treatment—from the threat of cervical cancer.”

Launched in May 2018, Go Further is an innovative public-private partnership between the U.S. President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), the George W. Bush Institute (Bush Institute), the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS), and Merck (known as MSD outside of the United States and Canada). For maximum impact, the partnership focuses on reaching HIV-positive women in countries with among the highest HIV prevalence and cervical cancer incidence rates in the world.

“Go Further builds on the Bush Institute’s longstanding initiative to support women in Africa by scaling efforts to save more lives,” said Holly Kuzmich, Executive Director of the Bush Institute. “Healthy and empowered women contribute to healthier families, communities, and countries, and this partnership is proud to invest in high-burden nations to improve women’s health and economic futures, reduce suffering, and expand the reach of care.”

An estimated 100,000 women are diagnosed annually with cervical cancer in Sub-Saharan Africa. Without treatment, 62 percent of these women would be expected to die from the disease. Additionally, women who are HIV-positive are five times more likely to develop invasive cervical cancer. To address these risks, Go Further is increasing access to the human papillomavirus vaccine to prevent cervical cancer, expanding the availability of vital cervical cancer screening, and providing treatment for women most vulnerable to developing cervical cancer. With minimal additional investment, these low-cost interventions can save millions of lives and help secure global gains against HIV/AIDS.

“At Merck, we are committed to addressing the health care needs of women in the developing world and are proud to partner with PEPFAR, the Bush Institute, and UNAIDS on Go Further,” said Carmen Villar, Vice President, Social Business Innovation, Merck. “Through this partnership we are addressing cervical cancer in HIV-positive women in Sub-Saharan Africa, one of the populations most heavily impacted by cervical cancer, not only through screening and treatment but also through prevention.” 

“To save a woman’s life by providing access to treatment for HIV, yet she dies from cervical cancer because she hasn’t had access to cancer screening is unacceptable,” said Gunilla Carlsson, Executive Director a.i. UNAIDS. “The Go Further partnership is critical to ensure that HIV and cervical cancer services are integrated and available to the women and girls that need them most."

The Go Further strategy builds on seven years of collaboration between PEPFAR and the Bush Institute and evolves the partnership to save more lives.

Learn more about Go Further at www.gofurther.org, and follow the partnership on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook.

The U.S. President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief

PEPFAR is the United States government’s response to the global HIV/AIDS epidemic, which has invested over $85 billion since 2003 – the largest commitment by any nation to address a single disease in history. Through the compassion and generosity of the American people, PEPFAR has saved 17 million lives, prevented millions of HIV infections, and helped transform the global HIV/AIDS response. For more information, please visit www.pepfar.gov, and connect with PEPFAR on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and YouTube.

George W. Bush Institute

Housed within the George W. Bush Presidential Center, the George W. Bush Institute is an action-oriented, nonpartisan policy organization with the mission of developing leaders, advancing policy, and taking action to solve today’s most pressing challenges. For more information, please visit www.bushcenter.org.

UNAIDS

The Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) leads and inspires the world to achieve its shared vision of zero new HIV infections, zero discrimination and zero AIDS-related deaths. UNAIDS unites the efforts of 11 UN organizations—UNHCR, UNICEF, WFP, UNDP, UNFPA, UNODC, UN Women, ILO, UNESCO, WHO and the World Bank—and works closely with global and national partners towards ending the AIDS epidemic by 2030 as part of the Sustainable Development Goals. Learn more at unaids.org and connect with us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube.

Zarah Ali (not her real name) remembers how things changed for the better. “In 2014, I received a loan of 40 000 Djiboutian francs (US$ 250) that I used to develop and improve my garment business. I was also trained in business entrepreneurship, including marketing and customer satisfaction. I import clothes from Dubai and Somaliland and earn a decent income that helps me support my 25-year-old son, my 16-year-old daughter in secondary school and my three-year-old adopted son. I am able to pay for my rent, electricity and water and have decent meals.”

Ms Ali’s loan came from an income-generation programme established by the World Food Programme in collaboration with the United Nations Development Programme, UNAIDS and the national network of people living with HIV in Djibouti (RNDP+). The programme supports the long-term empowerment of, and provides regular incomes to, women living with HIV in Djibouti City. It helps them to achieve financial security and have access to food and improves their access to health-care services. Income-generating activities such as those supported by the programme have a powerful potential to help people living with HIV adhere to antiretroviral therapy and optimize health outcomes. 

The loans, ranging from US$ 141 to US$ 438 per person, are for starting or building retail businesses. The beneficiaries, who are selected from among two networks of people living with HIV affiliated to RNDP+ (ARREY and Oui à la Vie – Yes to Life), also receive training on how to run their business. Government support in the form of favourable policies and legislation has been vital to the success of the programme. 

Dekah Mohammed (not her real name) now lives a fulfilling life after receiving help from the income-generation programme. Ms Mohammed, who lost her husband to AIDS, lives with six children. After she lost her job in the hospitality sector owing to her deteriorating health and to stigma and discrimination, she started her own clothing business and received a loan of 50 000 Djiboutian francs (US$ 313) to expand her business. The loan was repaid within 10 months. Her business has since expanded into furniture and electronics and she has recruited an employee. “I am no longer a desperate woman. I make enough to take care of my family and dependants,” she said. 

The programme has improved the quality of life of many Djiboutian women, allowing them to regain dignity and ensure their financial security. It empowers women and girls to protect themselves from HIV, make decisions about their health, live free from violence and be financially independent. 

Building on the belief that empowering women living with HIV and their households to be financially independent strengthens adherence to treatment and leads to more fulfilling and dignified lives, the programme contributes to the World Food Programme’s broader strategic contribution towards ending AIDS as a public health threat by 2030.