Born Free of HIV in West Africa

The recent wave of political instability in Mali can be traced back to 2012 when soldiers first overthrew the sitting president on charges of government corruption. This coup also provided an opening for Islamic groups to seize northern Mali, adding further disruption to the country. For the next 8 years the country suffered from public unrest, fueled by extreme poverty and overpopulation in the capital, Bamako, as Malians fled violence in northern Mali. This culminated in a military coup led by Assimi Goita in August 2020. 

In April 2021, French journalist Oliver Dubois was kidnapped, a sign of rapidly increasing tensions between the different parties vying for power. In May 2021, there was a third military coup led by Assimi Goita triggered by his dissatisfaction with the appointed government cabinet. Shortly after in June 2021, Assimi Goita was sworn in as interim president, appointing many of his fellow army officers into the cabinet. Just recently as last week an attempted assassination of Goita was reported. The suspect was arrested on site and died in custody. Goita’s response was as follows: “That’s part of being a leader, there are always malcontents”. 

These frequent changes in power have created a somber tone in the government and have interrupted the continuity of provisions, including those important to public health. Many global institutions no longer recognize Mali in an attempt to disprove of its most recent coup. This instability directly impacts how effectively the government can meet the health needs of the country, and how quickly the government can respond to fast-changing public health situations. At a time where COVID-19 is still a major threat, public health programs are greatly needed. Dr.Karamoko, the GAIA VF Medical Director, spoke about the coup in relation to public health and mentioned that “it affects the systems of health because everything comes to an abrupt stop”. 

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HIV has a 1.2 percentage rate worldwide. That is what makes the 9.0 percent rate in sub-saharan Africa that much more daunting. When we compare this to the 0.6 percent rate in North America it is hard to ignore the facts that show HIV affects the world disproportionately. 

GAIA VF was founded on the basis of providing consistent, accessible, and reliable HIV care. In Mali the prevalence of HIV lies around 1.1% meaning approximately 100,000 people in the country are living with it. It is the care and practice of our established staff in Mali that is helping provide the treatment needed to combat HIV. One of the many struggles in this fight is that most screenings done in the country are concentrated on women. This is due to the rooted notion in the country that men with HIV are homosexual. 

It is contributions like yours that allow us to not only administer care, but to provide information around HIV. Help us continue this journey in making HIV information and care accessible. For just $25 support the testing of five women in our clinic. Look to the orange bar on the right to learn more.

The safety and wellbeing of our patients are our top priority. Together we can fight HIV. 

Continue to follow along as we put an end to HIV in Mali!