1. National Conference on
Peer Education, HIV & AIDS
Theme: “Let’s Care and Care to Care”

2. Stigma & Discrimination
around HIV/AIDS
“How much do we care”?

3. Prepared by:
Mutomo Youth Peer
Educators
Presented by:
Robert Munyau
Mutomo EFL Satellite Team

4. Mutomo Youth Peer Educators

5. Stigma & Discrimination
• A major obstacle to HIV/AIDS prevention

6. Stigma
• A negative perception about a person /
group of people.
• Based on a prejudiced position

7. Discrimination
• Is the action resulting from these negative
perceptions about a person or group
• HIV / AIDS is associated with some of the
elementary parts of human life –
• sex,
• blood,
• disease
• death.
• Consequently people are not willing to know their
HIV status

8. Statistics from Mutomo -2005
• Population – 140,539
• Tested - 1,340
• Early stage of
HIV - 409
• No. of HIV + - 14
• Late stage of HIV - 931
• No of HIV + - 361
• No of deaths - 70

9. Sources of Stigma &
Discrimination
• Myths about HIV and AIDS transmission and
cure
• Social fears about sexuality
• Fear related to illness and death
• Ignorance about the pandemic and other pre-
existing forms of stigma

10. Effects of Stigma &
Discrimination
• Self-hatred
• Re-infection with the virus
• Suicidal tendencies
• Feeling of worthlessness and
hopelessness

11. Our Efforts as Youth Peer
Educators in Confronting
Stigma & Discrimination
• Giving the community solid facts about
HIV/AIDS
• Interacting with HIV+ youth who walk with us
to talk about HIV and AIDS in:
– Schools
– Churches
– Public Barazas
• Formation of a Youth group in the market

12. Solid Facts

13. Solid Facts

14. Confronting Stigma

15. People we reached in 2005
• Youths
– Boys: 13,396
– Girls: 16,166
Youths in and out of school
• Adults
– Men: 3,102
– Women: 3,023

16. Impact indicators of our
activities
• Increased interest in our activities from
people who initially resisted /were not
interested at all.
• Increased numbers of youth coming for VCT
• Youth on the street are now becoming
involved in recreational activities.
• The culture is changing – more people talking
about HIV/AIDS openly and without fear.

17. How much do we care?
• What are our feelings about people who
are infected and affected by HIV/AIDS?
• Can we accept, love and give hope to
these people?
• Can we journey with them – cry with them,
spend time with them, be there for
them,assist and care for them, and not be
worried about what others think/say about
us?

18. Acceptance without fear

19. Confronting Stigma –the Bible
• As Christians – Jesus our role model
• Luke 15:1-2 . Jesus sitting with pharisees and
sinners.
• John 8: 1-11. The woman who was caught in
adultery
• Mathew 9: 10. Jesus having dinner with tax
collectors and sinners.
• Our best efforts may be small but together with
others they will be significant for the survival of
the human race.

20. Acceptance with Love and Care

21. Thank You