Organization: Batibo District Hospital, Cameroon
Region: Africa
Nationality: Cameroon
Country: Cameroon
Interests & expertise: Co-infections (TB, hepatitis, STIs, etc.)
Profession or occupation: Healthcare worker/social service provider
What inspires you to work in the HIV field?
Growing up, I witnessed first-hand the devastating effects of AIDS in my community. What made it more appalling were the myths and misconceptions around HIV. This spurred a desire in me to do something to help my community.
For about eight years, I have worked in programmes aimed at improving community knowledge of HIV and AIDS and decreasing HIV-associated mortality and morbidity, especially among vulnerable and key population groups (these people often face discrimination and inequitable access to healthcare).
The outcomes of these programmes have been a great source of inspiration. Community knowledge has improved, which is evident in better sexual choices among adolescents and older people and decreased stigma for people living with HIV. Furthermore, the quality of life of people living with HIV has improved, evident in fewer hospital visits for AIDS-related conditions and a significant decrease in mortality and morbidity. This generally translates to increased productivity and hence community development. It is so fulfilling and only inspires me to do more.
What are your goals as an IAS change maker?
My goals as an IAS change maker are to:
1. Improve community knowledge in a bid to fight stigma and discrimination.
2. Improve quality of life of people living with HIV, hence decreasing mortality and morbidity. This I intend to achieve in part through training, mentoring and capacity strengthening of staff involved in the care of people living with HIV and advocacy for better government investment.
3. Advocate for better services for key and vulnerable population groups (especially the paediatric population group).
4. Build a rich network of like-minded professionals to drive progress towards ending the HIV pandemic.
5. Further develop my interest in research and promote evidence-based interventions in progress towards ending the HIV pandemic and improving quality of care.