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Paths to Leadership for People Living with HIV in the Middle East and North Africa: Project Highlights (Brief)

From 2005–2010, the "Investing in PLHIV Leadership in MENA" initiative strengthened the capacity of people living with HIV (PLHIV) in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region through training, mentoring, and small grants. The initiative sought to build social capital of PLHIV in the region, promote greater investment in PLHIV, and foster policy dialogue and advocacy. On the path to strengthened PLHIV leadership in MENA's HIV response, the initiative has achieved several outcomes. PLHIV are taking steps to form a regional network; women living with HIV have emerged as leaders and are starting support groups for other women affected in the region; and National AIDS Programs have contributed funding to support expansion of PLHIV-led activities in-country. In addition, the initiative has created four curricula (which will be available in English and Arabic) to help build the capacity of PLHIV in the region. This brief reviews highlights of the project; additional details are available in the forthcoming full report.
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Where We Work

Middle East and North Africa (MENA)

HIV has spread rapidly and silently in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) Region, fueled by high levels of stigma and discrimination, low levels of public awareness, and limited availability of HIV-related information in Arabic. Halting the spread of the epidemic requires active engagement by people living with HIV (PLHIV). Unfortunately, stigma and discrimination have discouraged PLHIV from disclosing their status and hindered their engagement in prevention and treatment efforts.

To help remedy this situation, Task Order 1 of the USAID | Health Policy Initiative (HPI) works with in-country partners to invest in the leadership capacity of PLHIV in the MENA Region. The project aims to create a strong cadre of PLHIV leaders who can advocate for the rights of HIV-positive people in countries across the region.

Through workshops and trainings, the project builds the capacity of PLHIV to foster national and regional support networks; increases access to accurate and culturally appropriate HIV-related information; and strengthens participants' ability to address HIV-related challenges within their countries, including human rights, gender, treatment access, and stigma-related issues. In doing so, the project works with local stakeholders to design trainings, tools, and curricula that specifically address the knowledge and leadership capacity needs and potential of PLHIV in the MENA Region.

RECENT ACHIEVEMENTS

Workshop Highlights the Feminization of HIV in the MENA Region.  From May 16-21, 2009, the HPI MENA team collaborated with the Association Marocaine de Solidarité et Développement (ATL) and the International Community of Women Living with HIV/AIDS (ICW) to facilitate a five-day women-centered workshop in Tunis, Tunisia. This was the first workshop to bring women living with HIV together to raise awareness about the feminization of HIV in the MENA Region. The workshop explored how to address the challenges and barriers that women face related to HIV. The facilitators used HPI's newly developed draft curriculum, Investing in MENA Series: Women's Workshop Curriculum: Addressing HIV among Women and the Gender Dimensions of HIV in the MENA Region, Volume 3.

PLHIV Lead Peer-to-Peer Capacity-building Efforts. During a series of workshops organized over the past year (Sept. 2008 to Oct. 2009) in Bahrain, Lebanon, and Yemen, PLHIV facilitators helped to increase country-level support for HIV-related activities by partnering with National AIDS Program (NAP) managers, local NGOs, and support groups. Through the workshops, the in-country HIV-positive trainers showcased their skills and, consequently, have gained increased responsibility and leadership in local HIV responses. These workshops have also increased awareness about HIV, especially among HIV-positive women living in remote areas who do not have access to HIV information and services.

Last Updated 12/15/09