The Youths Against HIV Discrimination (YAHD) is poised to increase knowledge and improve the knowledge of HIV prevention and control amongst adolescents in Nigeria. In this blog, Rafiat Akinokun, YAHD Team Lead recounts her personal experience with HIV/AIDS that formed her motivation for the YAHD Initiative.
“I need to know”
As a 10-year-old girl, I held on to the norm that HIV was self-inflicted. My knowledge about sex, made me believe the virus was only peculiar to commercial sex workers who have multiple sexual partners. I held onto this belief until my parents were able to afford a small television set. The popular TV show “I Need to Know” which focused on HIV education, became my favorite. I became much more aware of the mode of transmission, and the cause of HIV. This show had an impact on my level of health education and proves the need to increase the knowledge of HIV, particularly among the younger population of Generation Z.
Mrs. D, a 24-year-old woman once told me, “when you have HIV, you unlock a new level of self-care, self-awareness, and responsibility. It takes a certain level of responsibility to adhere to medications even when you don’t feel like it, it takes a higher level of self-awareness to understand who you really are; to see yourself beyond the status and the tags the society creates for you. It takes a lot of self-care to lead a beautiful and meaningful life you want for yourself, even if you have to battle mental health challenges that come with Living with HIV”.
Often times when I recall her statement, I become concerned, about how adolescents Living with HIV feel. The stage of adolescence comes with a lot of physical, social, and mental health demands from the transition to early adulthood. I have had a few conversations with adolescents Living with HIV, and those memories have always spurred my interest in this vulnerable population.
Miss T, a 15-year-old girl living with HIV once told me “knowing fully well that I have a lot to do with my life scares me. I feel abnormal amongst my peers because I carry a burden I can’t talk about. I am not even sure if I would be accepted by someone I love later in life. Living with HIV feels like a weight that nobody can help you carry”.
This is why I refer to PLWHIV as Champions, this is the daily experience of an adolescent girl, one out of millions living with HIV. Sadly, in Nigeria, this age group has been found to be the most vulnerable with the highest level of prevalence. It is therefore of utmost importance to prioritize HIV prevention programs among this population. Furthermore, there should be a focus on the need to increase investment in the physical, social and mental health care of Adolescent Girls and Young Women Living with HIV.
HIV education, including comprehensive sex education, should remain a priority to reduce the prevalence of HIV among adolescents and young people. We need to continue to listen and amplify their voices, to achieve better health and well-being for all. It is already enough that they carry so much weight, let’s not make them feel alone on this journey, ‘to leave no one behind.’
Going through this insightful post made me remember our onus as one in the public health line; to be more concerned about health at the population level which is exactly what I read and what you’ve been doing as PLWHIV champion. The adolescent stage of life is really a challenging one, especially for girls, and it is no doubt that this group is the most vulnerable population across the world to risky sexual behavior; an important factor driving the prevalence of HIV. Sex education as suggested will go a long way in addressing the prevalence of HIV among adolescents. Consequently, other recommendations like government investment in HIV prevention programs will go a long way. However, while there are more evidence-based studies in Nigeria on factors inducing HIV among adolescents, it would be nice to see the Nigerian government and other relevant stakeholders acting collaboratively to do needful and slow down the prevalence curve. Together we must act!
Thank you Rafiat for this succinct, yet concise, inspiring, informative and educative piece.
I hope the whole world come to see PLWHIV from your point of view and also Join in the movement to help accommodate them in our society today.