We got the desired reaction: my organization assisted about 500 people living with HIV. Some people were even supported with means of transport to deliver drugs to people who were stranded in the community.
Winifred Ikilai is an HIV prevention advocate, a Fellow with AVAC, and working with the National Forum of People Living with HIV and AIDs Networks in Uganda. She is currently advocating for effective implementation of the Test & Treat HIV policy and accompanying HIV care and treatment services. She also campaigns for the sexual and reproductive health rights of young people. Using her experience, she called attention to the fact that people living with HIV needed help.
Her Story
When the lockdown started, many people living with HIV found themselves stranded and with no means of accessing health facilities for treatment. They lived in fear of the damage this would cause, yet the worry of not knowing how best to access their drugs got worse by the day.
I received numerous calls from People Living with HIV (PLHIV) coordinators from districts like Mityana, Luweero, Serere, Sembabule, Bukomansimbi, Bukedea, Kumi, Amuria, Ngora, Soroti and Masaka. As well as strangers who know me through social media.
I found messages on Facebook and WhatsApp, asking me to support their drug acquisition. The situation was distressing. So, I contacted fellow advocates and some community health volunteers who work in HIV service delivery organizations like TASO, Mildmay and Uganda Cares. I managed to link them up with those who were stuck. I am glad that the organizations responded and got the drugs delivered to the recipients who needed them.
I also generated an emergency contact list of organizations that I circulated on my social media accounts. But, as the days progressed, the number of districts contacting me only increased and this stretched across the country, with more districts seeking the same help.
I called several PLHIV Network leaders to assess the situation in detail and generate quick solutions on how best they could be supported to deliver drugs. I documented a status report, highlighting critical challenges faced by PLHIV in the districts of Amuria, Kumi, Kotido, Ngora, Luwero, Bukedea, Soroti, and Serere.
The key challenges included the long distance to the health facility, limited access to food, which was affecting adherence to treatment, job loss, and lack of mental and emotional support. I presented these findings to UNAIDS and Global Fund PLHIV.
Together with fellow young advocates, we utilized the power of social media to bring to light the pertinence of access to drugs and food amidst COVID-19. We got the desired reaction: my organization assisted about 500 people living with HIV. Some people were even supported with means of transport to deliver drugs to people who were stranded in the community.
This support came from development partners like (Global Fund, Embassy of Ireland, and UNAIDS) and organizations like TASO, Mildmay, and BAYLOR College Foundation in Uganda.