Empowering 500 Rwandan women living with HIV/AIDS

The last quarter of 2017 involved the sensitizing of the local populace in the Southern Province of Rwanda. Several of discriminatory tendencies on women affected or infected by HIV/AIDS. And these include the access of life-prolonging drugs in health centers

Women who have had several tides of challenges especially in the rural setting suffer stigmatization when it is discovered that they contract the disease. From being negated to house chores and odd daily jobs most are unaware of the rights especially on matters revolving around access to voluntary counseling and testing in a bid to reduce the prevalence of the scourge amongst the local populace.

Transmission of mother to child during child birth is one other issue communicated during the sensitization drives. To women in the southern province of Rwanda.

One positive outcome was also the participation of men from the community who pledged their support in raising the awareness of the women on the eradication of the HIV/AIDS pandemic.

In a bid to be in touch with the rural community in the Southern Province of Rwanda Human Rights First Rwanda Association took to the field by organizing for an awareness raising outreach activity.

In this outreach drive all the nine sectors of Kamonyi district were covered and the message on non-discrimination, testing, and treatment of women living with HIV/AIDS was on the agenda. The ultimate beneficiaries of the outreach programs were women living with HIV/AIDS in the rural community but a wider network of persons was engaged through this drive.

Local administrators, Mediation council members, Village health officers, women cooperatives all have a part to play in ensuring g the respect of the rights of women living with HIV/AIDS.

One of the recommendations reached included a more strengthened approach to the advocacy strategies for these marginalized persons , It was a positive move also that local leaders pledged their support towards the advocacy means laid out and vowed to take a tough stance towards discriminatory tendencies.