PLWAs Project

Dates: January 2001- June 2003

Themes: HIV/AIDS, PLWAs, Living Positively, Care and Support, Stigma

• Overview
• Partners
• Objectives
• Activities
• Outputs
• Unique Features
• Future Plans

Overview

SFPS/BCC's People Living With AIDS (PLWA) programs focus on advocating for resources for PLWAs, promoting care and support, enabling PLWAs to "live positively," and decrease the stigma attached to PLWAs. In 2001, SFPS/BCC produced an advocacy video to encourage African leaders to commit resources to HIV prevention and care and support to PLWAs. SFPS/BCC continues to develop its PLWA activities in the context of the pervasive stigma surrounding HIV/AIDS in West Africa. This stigma is an obstacle to containing transmission among the general population and to promoting positive living among PLWAs and persons affected by AIDS (PABAs). SFPS/BCC will address stigma, care and support, and other issues of importance to PLWAs and their communities through a documentary film showing the lives of PLWAs and PABAs and through a comic book containing important information on how to live long and strong.

Partners

In addition to the other SFPS CA partners, SFPS/BCC collaborates with:

• PLWA NGOs such as RAP+ (the African Network of PLWAs) Côte d'Ivoire (and Burkina) chapters
• StoryTellers, South Africa

Objectives

• Reduce stigma associated with HIV and PLWAs.
• Improve attitude of the community (family members, work colleagues..) toward PLWAs.
• Promote better support to PLWAs.
• Support and build capacity of PLWA organizations.
• Provide to PLWAs (and to those who contribute to their support and care) simple and clear information on how to remain healthy both physically and psychologically.

Activities

• Production and distribution of "The Time to Act is Now" video (in French and English).
• Collection of research on PLWA and nutrition in West Africa.

Kofi Annan, Secretary General of the UN, speaks at the Organization of African Unity Summit on HIV/AIDS in Abuja, Nigeria in April, 2001.

Outputs

• "The Time to Act is Now" - a video featuring African heads of State, the former OAU Chairman, and other leaders in the AIDS movement advocating for more resources for HIV/AIDS Prevention and Care and Support to PLWA programs. Available in French and English.
  

Unique Features

The development of the comic book will involve a unique partnership with the South African StoryTellers Group, local PLWA associations, and SFPS.

Future Plans

SPFS/BCC will develop a video based on real-life testimonials of how PLWAs and PABAs overcame their challenges of living with the disease, and a comic book that uses story telling to disseminate messages on how to live positively.

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