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Issue: 142

Positively Women - Beyond Viral Load and CD4 Count: for Women Living with HIV

In March Positively Women held an event called Beyond Viral Load and CD4 Count: Women Living with HIV. The event launched the new campaign to raise awareness of the need for PEER SUPPORT for women living with HIV amongst NHS commissioners. Both the event and campaign are supported by Abbott Laboratories.

While there are many Primary Care Trusts across London who recognise the need for peer support for women, notably in North and West London, there are many who do not recognise or fund effective support. In recent years service provision has focused on health training and self-management projects, and while these projects are needed, emotional support of coming to terms and living with HIV is all too often ignored. In South London for instance which has one of the largest populations of women living with HIV in the country money has been diverted away from direct services and peer support and channelled into increased monitoring and evaluation systems.

The campaign, which will continue through 2009, aims to highlight the needs for peer support, its success in supporting women to manage and live with HIV, and get the issue back on the agenda with NHS commissioners.

Charity, a Positively Women volunteer spoke at the event.

Hi, my name is Charity and I would like to share my personal experience with you. I was diagnosed with HIV in 2003. When I had my result that I was positive I was devastated. I kept my illness in secret and had difficultly in adhering with my treatment regime and, as a result, was very scared that my physical and mental health could be exposed.

I was in isolation for a long time because I was not aware of the range of support available to enable me to continue to manage my illness. I had told my consultant how I was feeling, he then referred me to a Psychologist who referred me to Positively Women because I was in isolation and needed practical emotion support. This organisation offers support to all HIV positive females, whether they are newly diagnosed or have lived with it for a long time.

“As someone living with HIV, I always like to think PEER SUPPORT is needed all the time, whether you are newly diagnosed or have been living with HIV for a long time. For others, more intensive support is needed to continue to manage the illness.

When you get PEER SUPPORT it resolves some of these problems as well as clarifying your own feelings and thoughts. I personally know PEER SUPPORT can – and often does - improve the life of people living with HIV. Through PEER SUPPORT I have developed new skills and built confidence. I have been supported in attending a Treatment Advocacy course, a Leadership course, Peer Mentoring and IT courses in Word and Excel.

Before I thought there was not hope. “Now I know there’s hope for my future.”

Correction
Mistakes sometimes get made – in the last issue we did just that in the article headed “MAC AIDS Fund dedicate £100,000 to fight stigma in the UK”

To correct the mistake we point out that Angelina Namiba is NAHIP programme leader at the AHPN, and Winnie Ssanyu Sseruma is facilitator for the Vital Voices leadership programme, not Chairwomen of the AHPN. We are sorry for any confusion.

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