Celebrating and Serving all Women

By The Global Fund

March 7^th, 2019

International Women’s Day is an annual celebration of the contributions and lived experience of women – stories that too often go overlooked. It’s a moment to renew our commitment to dismantling the structures that perpetuate unequal power and privilege. Today, the Global Fund celebrates women in all their diversity, and pledges our support for the myriad ways they contribute to the fight against HIV, TB and malaria, and to building healthier societies.

COVER IMAGE: In the Dosseye camp in Chad, women refugees lead activities on HIV prevention. They go tent to tent in different camps to encourage voluntary HIV testing. On Saturdays, they organize a theatrical performance to educate refugees on the disease, address stigmatization and old myths, and promote the need to seek medical treatment. About 16,000 people live in the Dosseye camp. The Global Fund works with UNHCR to provide treatment for refugees living with HIV. (Robin Hammond / NOOR for the Global Fund)

Migrant workers in Thailand often do jobs that are “dirty, dangerous and difficult.” They are vulnerable to exploitation and may be wary of seeking health services. Global Fund partner MAP Foundation informs migrants of their rights and how to access these essential services. One novel way to communicate with the migrant audience is through radio broadcasts in their native languages. Jamporn broadcasts in her native Shan language to fellow migrants from neighboring Myanmar. Music and entertainment keep listeners engaged, interspersed with information about HIV and TB – tailored for people who don’t have time to join info sessions in person.

Robin Hammond / NOOR for the Global Fund

Caroline Ndimadji left her successful business selling millet to save lives in her community. She is the first and only female community health worker in Diyei, a rural community in the south of Chad. “Protecting and saving the life of a person is worth more than the income I was making. When kids and parents are healthy, communities thrive, and families can save money for other expenses.”

Successful control and prevention efforts led by community health workers have helped significantly decrease the number of malaria cases in Logone, one of the most affected regions in Chad. As caregivers and educators, they play a fundamental role in ending malaria in rural areas.

Pimthidapat Setthakit is a transgender peer educator in Chiang Mai, Thailand, working with Global Fund partner MPlus Foundation. “As an insider, I know the behavior of transgender women very well. I know the night life and I want to tell my friends how to be safe or what to do if they are HIV positive.” MPlus provides a safe space and stigma-free health services for key populations, with people like Pimthidapat at the center of efforts to promote understanding of HIV and protect human rights.

Shakira Ndagire’s, 24, lives in Kampala, Uganda, where she has been a sex worker since she was 13. In that time, she achieved a great feat of staying HIV-negative in a country where one in three sex workers is HIV-positive. To achieve that, HIV prevention has been a constant in her life. She uses condoms, pre-exposure prophylaxis other HIV prevention tools, which she gets at a center for high-risk populations in Kampala’s Mulago Hospital. The center is supported by the Global Fund and other partners.

“Cooper” finds community support as well as health information at the Thai Drug Users Network drop-in center in Chiang Mai, Thailand. “I think this place gives people a chance for change,” she says. Cooper anticipated becoming a counselor at the center. “Being accepted lets people think about how they want to live their lives.” By removing the stigma drug users often face in traditional health settings, such centers reduce the spread of HIV.

Female community activists like Heltira Mumin are behind India’s impressive gains against malaria in recent years. Known as ASHAs, or Accredited Social Health Activists, this army of mostly women is the vital link between rural communities and the public health system. As trained health volunteers, they visit villages and provide care and prevention education on a range of health issues, including reproductive and sexual health, malaria, tuberculosis and other ailments. Heltira and her fellow community workers are also role models for young girls in many villages.

In Belarus, more than 38% of new TB cases are drug-resistant. Drug-resistant TB is curable, but the drugs have nasty side effects and treatment can take up to two years. Patients are isolated – fearing the stigma associated with TB and often unable to work or go to school. In Minsk, Red Cross volunteers provide support to TB patients on their journey to wellness. “You get an emotional connection to the patients you support. Often, patients are simply looking for communication. They are lonely and just need people to talk to,” says Lidya (middle). The journey from diagnosis to cure isn’t easy for tuberculosis patients. But they don’t have to make it alone. The Global Fund supports health professionals, community health workers and dedicated volunteers in Belarus and around the world who provide a needed lifeline when the going gets tough.

Yalfal was living in the streets of Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, when a community health worker found her. She was brought to a health center where she was found to be pregnant. But she also tested positive for HIV. “When you are a woman of the streets, you belong to everyone,” said Yalfal. Guided by the community health workers, she was put on treatment to prevent transmitting HIV to her baby and received support in getting a home. She was also put in touch with a mother support group, which helps women in the community stay healthy and prevent transmission of HIV to their babies. The baby, called Yhim – which means “this time will pass” – is now 8 months old and still HIV-negative. “This baby gave hope, he gave me lot – many people around me, a home, a community, a family.”