How do you reach key populations? Ask them!
Staff in IntraHealth’s South Sudan office facilitated a meeting for Prof. Sheila Tlou, the UNAIDS regional director for Eastern and Southern Africa, and female sex workers to discuss how to increase access to HIV prevention and treatment services.
Compared to other countries in sub-Saharan Africa, HIV prevalence is relatively low in South Sudan, but the new nation is now opened up to steady commercial traffic, migration, and displaced people returning home. IntraHealth is working to prevent a spike in new HIV infections by providing HIV prevention information and condoms to key populations—like sex workers—and high-quality medical care to people living with HIV.
During the meeting, ten peer leaders of the sex workers pointed out a number of barriers they’re facing:
- Knowledge about HIV prevention among sex workers and clients is very low.
- Condoms are sometimes out of stock and some clients don’t want to use them.
- There aren’t enough HIV services targeted and available for sex workers.
- It’s a challenge for foreigners—especially foreign sex workers who experience stigma—to access South Sudanese ART clinics.
- Post-exposure prophylaxis is only available in private clinics, which charge for services.
- Uniformed service officers routinely harass sex workers: they’ve arrested them for having condoms, used violence to refuse condom use (when officers are also clients), and taken their ARV drugs.
IntraHealth will have a lead role in the new PEPFAR USAID/LINKAGES project to address the other challenges raised, including implementing one-stop drop-in centers that target sex workers for reproductive health services such as HIV treatment, post-exposure prophylaxis, and STI treatment.
Learn more about our work in South Sudan: http://www.intrahealth.org/page/south-sudan
Photo courtesy of Patrick Buruga [Prof. Sheila (in red) with the UNAIDS South Sudan country director, UNAIDS staff, several of the peer leaders, and IntraHealth staff]