Stories

On World AIDS Day, we commemorate the remarkable achievements of IPPF Member Associations in their unwavering commitment to combating the HIV epidemic. Their tireless efforts have significantly expanded access to prevention, sexual and reproductive health services, and rights, transforming the lives of countless individuals worldwide. One of the key achievements of IPPF Member Associations has been their ability to expand access to essential sexual and reproductive health services through innovative approaches to HIV prevention, testing, and treatment. By establishing comprehensive service delivery networks and building the capacity of healthcare providers, they have ensured that individuals can access the care they need, regardless of their geographic location or socioeconomic status.   Kazakhstan is facing an urgent public health challenge as the number of HIV infections continues to rise. Over the past decade, the number of people living with HIV has doubled, now surpassing 31,000 individuals. The primary driver of this surge is sexual transmission, which accounts for an alarming 74% of cases. One of the most pressing issues is the high rate of undetected HIV infections. This gap poses significant challenges to implementing effective prevention and control measures. Although testing and treatment services are readily available, deep-rooted societal stigma keeps many from accessing them—particularly young people and key populations who are most vulnerable. Addressing this crisis means confronting the stigma head-on. Reducing the shame and fear surrounding HIV testing is crucial to fostering a culture where individuals feel safe and empowered to seek diagnosis and treatment. By promoting awareness, open conversation, and a supportive environment, we can help break down barriers to care and encourage people to take charge of their health. Only through collective effort can Kazakhstan turn the tide on HIV and prevent its further spread.   Fighting the HIV Pandemic: KMPA's Pioneering Efforts The Kazakhstan Association on Sexual and Reproductive Health (KMPA) is at the forefront of the battle against HIV. In collaboration with the AIDS Center of Astana City, Chevron Munaigaz Inc., and the International Center for AIDS Care and Treatment Programs (ICAP) as well as NGOs working with key population in Astana and youth friendly centers, since August 2023, KMPA has launched two groundbreaking initiatives:

At a local bar, we meet nine women from Kirundo. They’re all sex workers who became friends through Association Burundaise pour le Bien-Etre Familial's (ABUBEF) peer educator project. Yvonne is 40 and has known that she’s HIV-positive for 22 years. After her diagnosis she was isolated from her friends and stigmatized both in public and at home, where she was even given separate plates to eat from. “I started to get drunk every day,” she says. “I hoped death would take me in my sleep. I didn’t believe in tomorrow. I was lost and lonely. Until I got to the ABUBEF clinic.” ABUBEF has supported her treatment for the past six years. “I take my pill every day and I am living example of having a good life even with a previous death sentence,” Yvonne explains. “But I see that the awareness of HIV, protection and testing provided by ABUBEF is still very small.” Yvonne became a peer educator, speaking in public about HIV awareness, wearing an ABUBEF T-shirt.  The project spread to the wider region, and volunteers were given travel expenses, materials and training, along with condoms for distribution. But funding cuts mean those expenses are no longer available. Yvonne says she’ll carry on in Kirundo even if she can’t travel more widely like she used to. Her friend, 29-year-old Perusi, shares her experience of ABUBEF as a safe space where her privacy will be respected. It often happens, she says, that her clients rape her, and run away, failing to pay. Since sex work is illegal, she says, and there’s no protection from the authorities, and sex workers like her often feel rejected by society.  But at ABUBEF’s clinics, they are welcomed.

Monica has never told anyone about the attack. She was pregnant at the time, already had two teenage sons, and rape is a taboo subject in her community in Burundi. Knowing that her attacker was HIV-positive, and fearing that her husband would accuse her of provocation - or worse still, leave her - she turned to a place she knew would help.   ABUBEF is the Association Burundaise Pour Le Bien-Etre Familial. Their clinic in Kirundo offered Monica HIV counselling and treatment for the duration of her pregnancy.  Above all, ABUBEF offered privacy.  Neither Monica nor her daughter has tested positive for HIV. “They saved the life of me and my child,” Monica says. “I hope they get an award for their psychological and health support for women.” Three years on from the attack, Monica, now 45, raises her children and tends the family farm where she grows beans, cassava, potatoes and rice. She’s proud of her eldest son who’s due to start university this year. She educates her boys against violence, and spreads the word about ABUBEF. Monica speaks to other women to make sure they know where to seek help if they need it. Her attacker still lives in the neighbourhood, and she worries that he’s transmitting HIV. But the ABUBEF clinic that helped Monica is under threat from funding cuts. The possibility that it could close prompted her to tell her story.    “This is a disaster for our community,” she says. “I know how much the clinic needs support from donors, how much they need new equipment and money for new staff. I want people to know that this facility is one of a kind - and without it many people will be lost.”