Tackling HIV stigma through music

Milan Khadka once suffered discrimination within his community when they found out he was living with HIV. He is now a community home-based care mobiliser with Family Planning Association of Nepal. He uses his music to educate the youth about HIV and to confront the stigma around HIV.

The college student using music to tackle HIV stigma

Compared to many developing countries, HIV prevalence in Nepal is low. Yet there are deep and complex problems around HIV. Stigma remains a huge problem. People living with HIV say they have faced enormous discrimination, including being ostracized by their communities, bullied at school and work, and exposed to insults and even violence.

HIV services and support are central to the work of the Family Planning Association of Nepal (FPAN). Its staff and volunteers run services around the country, providing HIV counselling, education on prevention and treatment, and community home-based care services. People living with HIV are at the forefront of this work: FPAN employs thousands of community home-based care mobilisers who are themselves HIV-positive, meaning they are able to provide people with clear, sensitive and empathetic support that draws on their own experiences.