The HIV pandemic affects more women than men worldwide – a fact dramatically illustrated in Lesotho, in southern Africa, where two in five young women have the virus. As many as 40 per cent of women aged 20 to 39 have HIV in Lesotho which has a population of just 2.2 million. The number of Lesotho men infected is also high but at 23 per cent is half the
prevalence rate of women in the country.As the number of AIDS-related deaths continues to rise, the British Red Cross has been supporting the Lesotho Red Cross in its fight against the disease.People are becoming more open about their HIV status because of the programme's support networkNicola Stevenson, British Red CrossThe Lesotho Red Cross runs the largest and most
monitored home-based care programme in the country. This operates through a network of trained care facilitators who provide long-term support for people with HIV in their homes.Women are not
only the majority of clients, but also the majority of carers.Mother-of-three Matlape Sethathi from Lesotho in southern Africa has been helped by the Red Cross after testing positive for
HIV.SymptomsThe 44-year-old had been feeling unwell but until she met Red Cross volunteer Bless Mahlampo, she did not know how to find out about her symptoms or get
treatment.Bless arranged for Matlape to get tested and since then has been providing her with basic medical supplies to ease her symptoms. Matlape has also joined a support group for people on
the Lesotho Red Cross home-based care programme."The care facilitators are often women," explained British Red Cross delegate Nicola Stevenson, who worked in Lesotho for 18 months. "Girls
often have to come out of school to care for their families."However, the British Red Cross is helping young carers to carry on at school by helping to fund bags, books, shoes and school
uniforms. Another British Red Cross initiative is providing cash for people to travel to clinics."We found that transport costs to clinics were frequently a barrier to people getting
healthcare," Nicola said.HealthcareOne HIV client praised the support she receives from a Red Cross facilitator called Mapotso."Mapotso gives me information on what to
eat and how to look after myself, this sort of support is not available from anywhere else," she said. "I know to ask Mapotso for information and supplies and when she cannot assist she sends
me to the health clinic to see the nurse." Nicola believes that the programme's greatest impact has been tackling the stigma of AIDS."Stigma is huge in Lesotho. There is a lot of
misunderstanding about the virus and many people don't even realise they are discriminating against those with HIV," she said.One way of tackling stigma is through 'Ambassadors of Hope',
people living with HIV, who work with Red Cross volunteers and the community to break down stigma by open discussion."People are becoming more open about their HIV status because of the
programme's support network," she said. "The support groups enable people to talk about their problems in a structured way. For the first time someone sat down with me and said 'I am HIV positive' and
talked quite openly about it and being on the programme."The support groups also give people the opportunity to participate in livelihood projects. For example, basket making, poultry rearing,
horticulture, sewing and candle making."Some of these are income-generating but above all they are therapeutic and often raise people's self-esteem," Nicola said.By regaining
self-esteem, people can learn to help themselves, which is key to living positively with HIV.
[ Any views expressed in this article are those of the writer and not of Reuters. ]
