Zambian Activists Launch ‘Team No Shame About HIV+’ Campaign

Some of the activists who are part of the campaign
  -Photos by Rise Up To HIV

By Paul Shalala

Over a dozen Zambian youths living with HIV and those who are passionate about fighting the spread of the virus have taken to social media to launch a campaign dubbed ‘Team No Shame About HIV+.’

The youths aim to raise awareness about their HIV status and inspire others to come out in the open and live positive lives.

In a country where being HIV positive is sometimes associated with bad behaviour, these activists want to inspire others to defy stigma and walk with their heads high.

The ‘No Shame About Being HIV+’ campaign is using personal stories from HIV activists wearing t-shirts with the message No Shame About HIV+.

The activists occasionally wear the t-shirts without feeling any shame and to them, this is one way of fighting the stigma attached to HIV.

Benjamin: The lead advocate

The activists promote the social media campaign using framed photos created by US-based activist Kevin Maloney.

“Kevin is the one who inspired us to come up with the T-shirt campaign just as they are doing in the USA. The other message we are trying to use as a campaign is the U=U meaning Undetectable = Untransmittable). This is aimed at encouraging HIV positive people to do their viral load tests and not just thinking about their CD4. We are doing both campaingns using social media in collaboration with Rise Up To HIV,” said Benjamin Sakala, the activist spearheading the campaign.

42 year old Benjamin has been HIV+ since 2007 and he occasionally posts messages of encouragement to people living with HIV on his Facebook page.

“I'm not a Hero, I just face reality head-on. The fact is HIV lives with me but no virus is in control of my life. The fight continues, Together We Can! I belong to ‘Team No Shame About Being HIV+,’ One story, One T-shirt at a time,” reads one of Benjamin’s recent status when he launched the campaign on Facebook.

Benjamin Sakala

Benjamin has an interesting story.

He started his advocacy a long time ago and on the way, dozens of other people living with HIV have joined him.

“My journey with HIV began in September 2007 to be precise after having unprotected sex with my partner. I later discovered she was living with HIV but deliberately decided to conceal that information. I’m not here to compete with anyone but to just add my voice and also encourage someone out there still failing to cope with the reality of living with HIV,” he says.

He was born on 7th July 1975. 

He was married and had two children but he legally divorced in 2015 after being separated from his wife and kids for over 8 years.

After being told of his HIV status in 2007, Benjamin became an advocate on social media.

He embarked on a special crusade using social media to share his story.

“As at today, i don't really know how stigma feels because I have never experienced it. My life with HIV is an open book which I freely share with thousands every year. My encouragement to those still failing to come out in the open due to shame, stigma, fear and denial is please find someone you can confide in. Besides, you are not the first or the last one.”

Precious: The activist who once opted for suicide

Another activist who is part of the ‘Team No Shame About HIV+’ campaign is 24 year old Precious Kaniki, the youngest among the activists.

She is a social worker by profession who spent the years 2013 and 2014 studying at the Evelyn Hone College in Lusaka while in denial of her HIV status.

She currently works for AIDS Healthcare Foundation as an HIV Medic and Youth Coordinator.

Precious got aware of the status at a tender age and at some point she was contemplating suicide.

Precious Kaniki

She shares her story below.

“Am a young lady living with HIV, I got to know I was positive in my 9th grade. I got sick from that time and I even got used to it but when I came to know my status I wanted to end my life.

I saw no future for my life, my dream of becoming an electro engineering was shattered, I thought living my life was useless. Life was a toy to me as all my dreams were seen as a total failure. Much worse I was in denial resulting in my personal, spiritual and academic life being impacted negatively,” said Precious.

She says for seven years, she refused to accept her HIV status.

When she passed her Grade eight examinations, she went to Grade ten where she was put in a Pure Sciences class.

She explains that while in that class, she saw no need for her to study hard as she expected herself to die before completing Grade 12.

“With that thinking, I stopped studying. The only time I was studying is when the teachers were teaching. I stopped taking my drugs, I only took them when I started having a cough or getting sick, at one point my CD4 count reached 19. I was the happiest girl because I thought only 18 counts to go and I will be no more.”

A turning point in Precious’ life came in 2014 when she lost too much weight and weighed a meagre 35 kilograms.

She says at that time, she did not pray to die but to recover to make her parents proud by passing her Social Work program she was studying.

On a lighter note, Precious is dating and she adds: "My man is actually HIV negative."

Alintula Nakawala

“Am happy to say I fully live my life now without being ashamed of being HIV positive, I know someone would want to know how I became positive. That doesn't matter, what matters is how I live my positive life moreover we won't go back 10 years ago and change the circumstance that led me to became positive. I always keep my promise to adhere to my drugs and put a smile on my face in any situation am in. Know your status, better knowing than not knowing,” said Precious.

Traditional practice gone wrong

One of the youngest members of the ‘Team No Shame About HIV+’ is 26 year old Alintula Nakawala who has been on HIV treatment for the past 14 years.

Alintula was born in a family of three but now she is the only one surviving having lost all her siblings and parents.

Her father past away in 1993 and her mother followed in 2006.

“I have lived a life of rejection, discrimination and stigma but I still manage to walk with my head high because am not ashamed of who I am. Living with HIV has been a challenge I have accepted because I can't change it but I can fight it,” said Alintula.

She says she got the HIV virus through a tradition practice performed by her aunt.

“I got infected by my aunt through tattooing. She was told to put her menstrual blood which she did on me without knowing that she was HIV positive. I was just a young girl by then, some where around the age of eightoro nine.”

Reverend Bweupe: A clergyman with a mission of saving others from HIV

Reverend Stuart Bweupe

Another activist in the campaign is Staurt Bweupe, a 49 year old Reverend in the Anglican Church.

Reverend Bweupe has a sad story which i broke on this blog two years ago.

His aim in coming out open about his status is to inspire other clergymen who are living with HIV to live positively.

"Am not happy to be HIV+, I have suffered but am alive by the Grace of God," reads a recent status on Reverend Bweupe's Facebook page.

His coming out open was not easy as he suffered stigma from his close friends, relatives and fellow church leaders.

At one point, he was blocked from conducting Sunday services in church as the church leadership debated what to do with him following his public disclosure.

But over the years, he has risen above negativity and now presides over his congregation in Kabwe without opposition.

Brenda: My husband hid his HIV status from me

Another activist with an unfortunate story is 43 year old Brenda Musenga.

Brenda Musenga

She has been living with HIV for over nine years now but she fully accepts her status and uses it to fight stigma.

“I’m stigma proof. I was a virgin the time i got married and we used to go for Voluntary Counselling and Testing with my husband every after three months and always the results were negative. But the time my hubby found out he was HIV positive, he stopped me from testing. Without me knowing, he was put on medication and when I came across the medicine one day, he told me it was for energy,” said Brenda in an interview.

Brenda says in June 2007, a few months after she saw her husband’s medication, she secretly went for VCT and her results came out positive.

She says life was not easy for her.

“In the first few months, it was not easy for me to disclose even to my family. I went through shame and today am a living testimony. I go out in the community and help children, women and youths living with the virus. I also started a support group and we basically focus on HIV issues.”

Brenda says her husband was living in denial and he stopped taking anti-retro viral drugs leading to complications.

Unfortunately, he died in March 2008, leaving her with her own three children and a fourth one he fathered outside of wedlock.

“I have passed through rejection which is still happening up to now. This has really made me strong and I continue to stand up and fight HIV,” said Brenda.

Through these touching stories on social media, these HIV activists hope to fight stigma and 'free' more people living with HIV from living in denial.

The 'Team No Shame About HIV+' campaign is also beefed up by other youths who do not live with the HIV virus.

These are Zambian youths who have a heart for an AIDS free society and go as far as they can to spread the news for positive living among those who deny their HIV status.

HIV Prevalence In Zambia's Prisons Estimated At 27%

By Paul Shalala in Ndola

Zambian prisoners

The HIV prevalence rate for inmates in Zambia is now estimated at 27%.

According to results from a September 2016 baseline survey done by the British non-governmental organisation Voluntary Service Overseas (VSO), the prevalence rate in prisons is above the country’s 

HIV prevalence rate which currently stands at 13%

The baseline survey gives insight into the hidden picture of the AIDS pandemic behind bars.

Since independence, no independent survey has ever been done to assess the extent of the disease among prisoners.

VSO Country Director Edward Kakande says his organisation has started working on strategies to mitigate the problem.

Mr Kakande says VSO has partnered with the Zambian government to implement a three year project aimed at promoting human rights and access to health services in correctional facilities.

“VSO has over a year now actively engaged in supporting health in prisons, joining our VSO regional health program that has been working to address challenges specific to the prison setting for nearly 15 years,” said Mr Kakande during a recent two day workshop for prison officers in Ndola.

Last week, the organisation brought together 30 Prison officers from across the country to train them in mediation, advocacy and Reintegration.

The training was in line with the reforms going on in Zambia following the amendment of the country’s constitution in January 2015 which transformed and renamed the Zambia Prison Service to the Zambia Correctional Service.

The training, which was the first of its kind, was held under VSO’s three year project aimed at protecting human rights in prisons and access to health services in Zambia, Swaziland and Zimbabwe which is funded by the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC)..

“Reducing transmission and improving treatment, care and support in prisons is thus an integral part of reducing the spread of infection in the broader society,” added Mr Kakande.

The issue of HIV and AIDS in Southern Africa is one of the pressing issues the Southern Africa Development Community (SADC) is combating.

The regional body has come up with several minimum standards on HIV and AIDS for HIV testing and counselling, child and adolescent HIV and other communicable diseases.

This is where the VSO project fits in.

Despite these good guidelines, most of them are not implemented by member states despite them being part of the formulation process.

And Prisons Care and Counselling Association (PRISCCA) Executive Director Godfrey Malembeka says there is need for Zambia’s Ministry of Finance to increase funding to the Zambia Correctional Service so it can ably fight HIV and AIDS among inmates.

Mr Malembeka, whose organisation is working with VSO on prison reforms in Zambia, says the situation in the correctional facilities is not conducive because access to medicines by inmates is limited and the number of health personnel is low.

“The people in the prisons are strong, they are tested often. I was tested three times myself. What we need is more funding from the Ministry of Finance so that the fight and HIV and AIDS in prisons can be scaled up,” said Mr Malembeka who is a former inmate and is now an activist who champions the rights of prisoners and ex-inmates.

According to sources, the Zambia Correctional Service has less than 10 medical doctors looking after thousands of inmates in dozens of prisons spread across the country’s 10 provinces.

This scenario poses a challenge to those who are incarcerated and are on anti-retroviral therapy as it becomes a challenge to be ably attended to.

But Zambia Correctional Service Commissioner General Percy Chato, who opened last week’s workshop in Ndola, said the ongoing reforms in the prisons system will help in promoting human rights.

“It is in the public domain that correctional jurisdictions across the globe have taken steps to improve on their human rights records on the international sphere,” said Mr Chato.

Mr Chato added that the Zambia Correctional Service command was determined to ensure that the ongoing reforms work in the best interests of the community and the inmates.

These efforts to improve the lives of inmates are not just at SADC level.

At continental level, several steps are being taken to safeguard the lives of inmates.

In November 2003, the African Union adopted the Ouagadougou Declaration on Acceleration of Penal and Prison Reforms which seeks to reduce the prison population in Africa, applying the rule of law in prisons and promoting best practices among prison officers.

The Ouagadougou Declaration was preceded by the 1996 Kampala Declaration on Prison Conditions, the Kadoma Declaration on Community Service Orders in Africa in 1997 and the Arusha Declaration on Good Prison Practice adopted in 1999.

All these documents are aimed at helping member states to entrench the best practices of prison management in their countries and meet the so-called ‘Tokyo Rules’ which are a United Nations guidelines for prison services worldwide.

EDITOR'S NOTE: This story was also aired on TV1 on 7th February 2017. The video can be watched here.

Zambia’s HIV Prevalence Rate Drops To 12%

A 2016 World AIDS Day billboard in Lusaka

By Paul Shalala

Zambia’s HIV prevalence rate has dropped from 15.5% to 12.3%.

According to results of a joint survey by the United States and Zambian governments released three days ago, 12.3 percent of adults ages 15 to 59 are living with HIV and approximately 46,000 new cases of HIV occur every year.

The groundbreaking survey, the Zambia Population-based HIV Impact Assessment (ZAMPHIA), is a nationally representative, population-based HIV survey which was launched on November 27, 2015.

ZAMPHIA is led by Zambia's Ministry of Health with financial and technical assistance from the US President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR).

According to a statement issued by the US Embassy in Lusaka, the survey measured the burden of HIV and the impact of Zambia’s HIV prevention, care, and treatment services.

“Over the course of six months in 2016, 12,130 randomly selected households from across Zambia were visited by ZAMPHIA field teams. The teams included nurses and interviewers. Men, women, and children of all ages could participate in the survey, regardless of HIV status,” reads the statement in part.

The survey found that of all persons living with HIV in Zambia, 59.8 percent are virally suppressed, meaning that the amount of HIV virus in an infected individual’s blood is below the threshold that would put them at greater risk for developing HIV-related disease and transmitting the virus to others.

It further found that among the 10 provinces, Eastern Province had the highest prevalence of suppressed HIV viral load at 67% while Northern Province had the lowest at 50%.

Among children, the survey found that 1.3% of them aged 0-14 are living with HIV across the country.

This is the first time that the prevalence rate for the pediatric is being quantified in Zambia.

Zambia is one of the first countries to implement this groundbreaking, detailed population-based HIV impact assessment (PHIA) survey.

According to the US government, the PHIA surveys will be implemented in at least 13 countries, primarily in sub-Saharan Africa.

Since 2004, the US government, through PEPFAR,  has contributed over $3 billion to the HIV fight in Zambia.

In 2017, the US and Zambian governments will launch the #TestAndStart project which is aimed at helping HIV positive individuals from further spreading the virus by adopting anti-retroviral guidelines recommended by the World Health Organisation. 

Zambia's Gender Based Violence Cases Shoot To Alarming Levels

By Paul Shalala

A bill board against defilemnet

Cases of gender based violence (GBV) have reached alarming levels in Zambia to an extent where school-going girls are now being taught not to allow their older brothers or fathers to touch them.

GBV is so common that the media in the country has now made it one of the stories being given prominence in the news.

This situation has led to activists, government and interested parties funding prevention programs and erecting huge billboards to try and fight the vice.

Defilement, which forms part of GBV, is the most prominent in the news.

A recently released annual survey by the Zambia Police Service has revealed that in the year 2015, the country recorded 18,088 defilement cases which resulted in a 16.2% increase as compared with 15,153 cases the previous year.

These figures keep rising despite massive radio, TV and newspaper sensitisations and the rural programs the women's movement is currently implementing.

According to the Police report, other forms of GBV, aside of defilement, have also seen a rise in cases reported.

"Topping the list of cases reported were 6,205 Assault OABH (Occassioning Actual Bodily Harm), 2,759 defilement, 1,569 neglecting to provide and 1378 failing to provide cases. Other commonly reported gender based violence cases included Rape, Assault on a child, Indecent assault, Murder, Incest, Sexual Harassment, Child desertion and Unlawful wounding," read part of the report.

An anti-GBV bill board

However, these figures are only a fraction on what actually happens countrywide.

Most GBV cases in the rural areas are not report to the authorities due to fear of reprisals from the community or due to cultural practices.

According to some activists, men who defile girls as young as two or three years do so due to some false health beliefs.

"Some men believe that when they have HIV/AIDS and sleep with a child, they get cured of the disease, this is the reason you see men defiling children as young as two months," said an activist who spoke on condition of anonymity.

As a way of fighting the cultural part of the GBV cases, traditional leaders have been incorporated to try and discourage their subjects from marrying off under age girls.

In August last year, Zambia joined the 'HeForShe' campaign, an international campaign to fight GBV which has so far incorporated chiefs and civic leaders to spearhead the fight against abuse of girls and boys.

So far, the campaign has been introduced in most rural parts of the country with bicycles being distributed to those at the core of its implementation.

Recently, Zambia's Gender Minister Nkandu Luo, while addressing chiefs in the north of the country, disclosed that one-stop-centers had been set up in several communities where GBV cases can be reported and dealt with.

Senior Chief Nkula

Professor Luo said: "The centers will also be furnished and computers will be bought to allow for easy tracking of cases. We know that more needs to be done but for a start, we thought of establishing the offices first."

One of traditional leaders who has taken the fight against GBV personal, is Senior Chief Nkula of the majority Bemba speaking people.

At the entrance to his palace in the town of Chinsali, are inscriptions in the local Bemba language warning his subjects against marrying off their school-going children.

Inside his palace, the chief has decorated his sitting room with several certificates he has been awarded for standing up to the rights of girls.