AVERT's HIV and AIDS Media Gallery

Case study: A 29 year old HIV positive woman was stigmatised and discriminated against by her close relatives and people in her neighbourhood. One sunny morning Grace entered the AVERT funded voluntary counseling and testing (VCT) clinic at the Umunthu Foundation. She didn’t know how she could continue with her close relatives discriminating against her and rebuking her because of her HIV positive status. The VCT counselor explained to her that any form of discrimination against people living with HIV or AIDS (PLWHA) was unacceptable and illegal as it violated their basic human rights, such as the right to privacy, care, support, free movement. The VCT counselor advised her to join the home-based care (HBC) community support group, which meets weekly at the Umunthu Foundation. The HBC members meet to discuss the challenges they face, including stigma and discrimination, and how to deal with them. After becoming a member of HBC community support group, Grace was empowered with knowledge and skills on how to deal with stigma and discrimination. During the weekly meetings and discussions at Umunthu Foundation, Grace came to know her rights and gained knowledge on how to speak up and how to claim her rights. She explained to her relatives that discriminating against any person because of their HIV status was unacceptable and illegal. She reported the matter to Umunthu Foundation, and her relatives were encouraged to come to the centre, where they also received counseling. Grace’s situation changed for the better following this as her relatives stopped discriminating against her. Grace is now living positively and happily. She is thankful to AVERT funded VCT clinic where she was given the much-needed service, which has empowered her and helped to change her life.