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World AIDS Day 2008   
Nov. 28, 2008—This World AIDS Day (Dec. 1), CEDPA alumna Wanjiru Mukoma of Kenya is one of many committed advocates worldwide who will be working to stop the spread of HIV through education and outreach within her community. Wanjiru has been on the frontlines of AIDS efforts for much of her career, but has added a new tool to her arsenal this year: the image of U.S. president-elect Barack Obama getting tested for HIV. In 2006, then Senator Obama and his wife, Michelle, visited Kenya and underwent a public AIDS test before a crowd of thousands in an effort to reduce the stigma associated with testing in that country. The tests were conducted at a mobile clinic run by Wanjiru’s organization, Liverpool VCT, and the images were broadcast throughout the country.
Fast forward to 2008, with Kenyans riveted by the U.S. presidential election and the candidacy of Senator Obama, whose father was Kenyan. Wanjiru’s organization capitalized on the intense public attention to launch a new HIV testing campaign the week of Nov. 3 with images of Senator Obama being tested and the slogan: “Senator Obama and his wife know their status…do you and your partner know yours?” That week, Wanjiru’s organization had nearly double the number of people come in for testing, and expect many more as their campaign continues. Wanjiru Mukoma’s creativity and passion for her work illustrate the enormous impact of the many thousands of women throughout the world who are committed to stopping the spread of HIV and AIDS. Wanjiru is a graduate of CEDPA’s April-May 2008 Women’s Leadership in HIV/AIDS workshop held in Kenya, part of a four-year effort to equip and empower a cadre of women from around the world with the knowledge and skills to strengthen and lead the global response to AIDS. Wanjiru is one of 72 women who have graduated from the worldwide program in the first year since its launch. She applied to CEDPA’s training to improve her leadership skills and learn cutting edge technical and programmatic information, Wanjiru says. CEDPA’s training provides a highly participatory learning environment that promotes the exchange of expertise and experience, provides technical depth, and engages participants in strategy development and skill building. Participants in the workshop receive HIV/AIDS technical updates and hone their skills in leadership, program management, strategic communications, fundraising, gender, policy analysis and advocacy. Graduates return to their organizations better equipped to lead AIDS efforts that are evidence-based, designed with community needs at the center, and can have maximum impact to slow the spread of HIV and increased care and support for those living with AIDS. The Kenyan workshop is part of CEDPA’s Advancing Women’s Leadership and Advocacy for HIV/AIDS Action program, a program made possible through the generous support of the Ford Foundation. It brings together leading global agencies including CEDPA and the International Center for Research on Women (ICRW), International Community of Women Living with HIV/AIDS (ICW) and the National Minority AIDS Council (NMAC). Read more about CEDPA’s work in Reproductive Health and HIV/AIDS. |
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