'They paid a guy to kill me': health workers fight homophobia in Uganda

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.

In South Africa, public health nurses have a tendency to act more like a parent than a nurse when teenage girls visit the clinic to be tested for HIV, ask for birth control or get antiretroviral treatment. To change this reputation and behavior, Makhulu Media and the Desmond Tutu HIV Foundation collaborated to make a virtual reality film that shows the nurses how their behavior is often interpreted by the patient.

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.

Peer-to-peer reproductive health programs allow the concerns of youth to be heard and addressed. In Tucson, Arizona, the El Rio Health Center’s Reproductive Health Access Project allowed young people to have a say in the design of the program and types of services offered, including sexual health screenings and education. With the help a grant through Advocates for Youth, the program also operates AZ Shine, a teen-focused appointment service.

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.

The Access to Health and Rights Development Initiative (AHRDI) in Lagos, Nigeria has offered health services to over 2,000 LGBTI men since 2013 despite the nation's widespread homophobia. Because it is still dangerous to identify as or ally with homosexuality following the 2014 passage of the Same-Sex Marriage Prohibition Act, all AHRDI's clients come from word-of-mouth referrals to receive condoms, lube, HIV testing, and more.

Reported cases of congenital syphilis have significantly increased in Los Angeles County, but the solution may be in more thorough intake assessments. Similar to the role drug industry representatives play in operation rooms, these reps "encourage doctors to take thorough sexual histories of patients, screen all women of childbearing age for syphilis and retest periodically throughout a pregnancy."