At pop-up eatery in Canada, HIV education is on the menu

Reaching individuals at risk of HIV requires tackling stigma head-on. In Uganda, the director of the Eastern Region Women’s Empowerment Organisation deploys mobile health clinics to test and educate Ugandans on the risks of HIV transmission. The campaigns are held in neighborhoods and counseling is done in public, to help address the issue of stigma. The mobile clinics have received support from international organizations like USAid.

In Malawi, a small silicone ring that sits around the cervix and releases antiretroviral drugs is being tested to determine how effectively it reduces a woman's risk of contracting HIV. So far, trials have shown promising results, substantially reducing contraction rates especially when combined with sexual education.

Self-Cav is an AI chatbot that provides judgment-free, 24/7 information to young South Africans about HIV prevention, sexual health, and mental health via WhatsApp, allowing them to connect to real healthcare workers when needed. The chatbot is specifically designed to create demand for the HIV prevention medication PrEP among young women. Nearly 10,000 young people have used the chatbot platform, and 25% have been successfully linked to clinics or healthcare workers for PrEP, HIV testing, contraceptives, or mental health support.

The Wise Up Campaign works to increase HIV testing rates and reduce transmission of the disease through educational efforts and connecting with young people, a particularly high-risk group, to spread awareness and connect them with necessary resources. Since forming, the campaign has reached over 500,000 young people with HIV counseling and testing, as well as condom distribution, and has even trained several young volunteers to continue spreading the message to their peers.

Tiko Africa provides young people with free access to sexual and reproductive health education and services on a digital platform, including HIV testing and treatment, access to contraceptives and mental health support and counseling. Tiko operates in 15 counties and has benefited more than 290,000 young people since its launch.

The WOMAN ORGANISATION FOR HUMAN RIGHTS ADVOCACY (WONETHA) provides free condoms to sex workers in Uganda to end the spread of HIV. The group distributes about four to five million condoms to regional centers. Everyone can access the free condoms simply by request, without facing stigma or discrimination. The group also carries out “sensitization” campaigns that teach sex workers how to practice safe sex and feel empowered to require condom use among clients. They also work with health care systems to address discrimination and social stigmas that sex workers often face when seeking health care.

Community-based programs provide important avenues through which marginalized populations receive education about sexually transmitted infections and access to resources. In Los Angeles, Central American refugees have long relied on the help of institutions like Clínica Romero and the East Los Angeles Women’s Center (ELAWC). The organizations conduct HIV outreach work with women, using trained interpreters, and also hold focus groups to help individuals heal from trauma and receive the help they need.

South Africa is looking to tackle their HIV epidemic by changing the perception around preventative measures such as the PrEP prevention pill. Desmond Tutu Foundation’s PrEP program focuses on marketing the PrEP pill to those with a high risk for contracting HIV and so far has distributed the medication to 12,000 people.

After studying in the U.S. and observing the prevalent amount of information about STD’s on university campuses, two Iranian women decided they wanted to focus on sexual health in Iran, where sex is a taboo subject. They started a sexual health website for Farsi speakers, and run sex-ed workshops in Iran. “They also run a nongovernmental organization — registered in the US as RAH Foundation and in Iran under Ctrl+S. They have an Instagram account with over 12,000 followers.”

Disseminating correct HIV information to the public can be difficult but an HIV prevention program for the homeless has used artificial intelligence to select 'influencers' who are more likely to spread information. These individuals help to extend information through their social networks, resulting in more and accurate information reaching the public.