The Association of Women Living with HIV/AIDS In Nigeria (ASHWAN), says it is strategising to reduce stigmatisation against people living with the virus.
The National Coordinator of the association, Mrs Esther Hindi, stated this while interacting with journalists after a stakeholders’ meeting in Birnin Kebbi.
Hindi explained that the meeting was organised to provide the needed platform for stakeholders and people living with the virus to find workable pathways toward curbing stigma and the scourge of the disease.
She added that the meeting was also organised for stakeholders to come up with a comprehensive blueprint on behavioural changes against stigma.
“Some of the people living with the virus are shy and don’t want to interact with people and sometimes refuse to report their stigmatisation to relevant authorities for advice and counselling.
“Therefore, we are here to discuss all these concerns together, so we could come up with solutions on how best to change such attitudes.
“We have about 60 participants in this meeting and a lot have been discussed. We will compile our findings and submit them to the national office for recommendation and action,” she said.
The coordinator expressed optimism that the outcome would yield positive results that could be beneficial to people living with HIV/AIDS.
She identified some of the challenges affecting the association to include shortage of manpower as well as inadequate drugs and test kits.
Describing drugs and test kits as essential commodities to the overall wellbeing of people living with HIV/AIDS, the coordinator called on the federal and state governments to come to their aid.
“We are calling on the federal and state governments, including donor agencies to come to the aid of ASHWAN to enable the association to effectively address its challenges,” she said.
Reacting to U.S. President Donal Trump’s suspended foreign development assistance, which included HIV funding, Hindi said that the action had put millions of lives at risk.
Describing the development as “worrisome,” the coordinator called on the Nigerian government to begin to look inward to sustain funding for HIV/AIDs interventions.
Some of the participants at the meeting included officials from the Federation of Muslim Women Association of Nigeria, and Christian Association of Nigeria.
Others are from the State Action Committee on Aids, Ministries, Departments and Agencies, Human Right Commission and Civil Society Organisations from the 21 local government areas of the state.
NAN
