In Africa, a Glimpse of Hope for Beating HIV

A couple of years ago, European researchers began studying more than a thousand couples, gay and straight, in which one member had been infected with H.I.V. and the other hadn’t. These couples weren’t using condoms. But the infected partner was taking antiretrovirals successfully; the virus was suppressed, undetectable in the blood. The researchers published their results in July 2016 in the Journal of the American Medical Association.

Can you guess how many times, over the course of more than a year, an infected partner gave an uninfected partner H.I.V.?

A. 928

B. 0

C. 503

D. 17

The answer is B. Zero. And in that fact lies hope.

How do you stop AIDS? Not just treating H.I.V., but ending the epidemic. Even when there’s no vaccine and no cure.

Part of the answer can be witnessed in a white trailer on the grounds of a polyclinic in Hatcliffe, a dusty town in the northern part of greater Harare, Zimbabwe. Even before the trailer opens each day, the benches outside are full of people waiting for a checkup or a fresh supply of medicine for H.I.V. or the diseases that pounce on weakened immune systems.

Hatcliffe’s clinic, like all public clinics in Harare, charges $5 for visits that don’t involve either H.I.V. or tuberculosis. That may seem like a bargain to Americans. But Zimbabwe is in an economic crisis, making millions of people struggle just to buy their staples of cornmeal, sugar and cooking oil.

The clinic is supposed to offer medicines free, but has run out of many, said Sheila Chiedza, the nurse who runs it. (A doctor visits on Wednesdays.) The clinic must send patients to a pharmacy to purchase what they need. “If we don’t have it here, we are not sure if they can get it,” Chiedza said.

For most Zimbabweans, then, medical care at the public clinic is a financial hardship. But H.I.V. and tuberculosis care are different: Drugs are free, each clinic visit costs just one dollar, and most patients come four times a year.

When I visited in August, the trailer’s back office was crowded with staff members entering data. I asked how well patients did on their AIDS meds. “Ninety percent undetectable,” said a young man who gave his name as Mr Edwards.

This seemed unbelievably high. In the United States, the figure is about 81 percent.

But the clinic may not have been exaggerating. Zimbabwe is one of the world’s worst-governed countries and has suffered a staggering economic decline. But it’s doing right by people with H.I.V. — a lot better than the United States.

Every epidemic has a tipping point. When the transmission rate drops below that point, it begins to recede. For H.I.V., reaching the tipping point requires three things: that 90 percent of people with the virus know they have it, that 90 percent of that group are taking antiretroviral medicines to keep the epidemic in check, and that 90 percent of those taking medicine control the virus to the point where it is undetectable and therefore cannot be transmitted.

So having the world at 90-90-90 is the goal of UNAIDS by 2020. If you reach 90-90-90, you end up with 73 percent of people with H.I.V. being noncontagious. That 73 percent is the tipping point, at which the epidemic starts to burn out.

Achieving 73 percent is hard. In the United States, the figure is only 49 percent. A recent survey in which researchers went door to door testing people’s blood found that Zimbabwe is much closer, at 60.4 percent. Between 2003 and 2015, the rate of new infections there declined by two-thirds.
 Surveys have been completed in three other countries. Malawi and Zambia are close to the tipping point. Swaziland, the country with the highest H.I.V. prevalence in the world, has just become the first that we know of to have achieved the target of 73 percent. These results are even more remarkable because across Africa an unusually large group of young people have been reaching the most dangerous age.

A large part of this success is due to George W. Bush, whose administration established the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief, or Pepfar, in 2004. Its impact is now evident in the trailer in the yard of Hatcliffe Polyclinic and just about every such trailer in countries with a large H.I.V. burden.

Of course, Bush’s initiative wasn’t alone. Pepfar programs are dwarfed by the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Malaria and Tuberculosis, which began working around the world in 2002. Most governments take H.I.V. seriously, and campaigns by a global network of people living with H.I.V. and their supporters achieved those victories.

Pepfar began work in seven African countries in 2004, and also contributed to the Global Fund. Now it works in 22 African countries, along with some in Asia and Latin America.

In the past three and a half years, Pepfar has doubled the number of people for whom it provides treatment. It has added a million children in the past two years. On Tuesday, several organizations are releasing household surveys from two more countries — Lesotho, which is near a tipping point, and Uganda, which has stabilized its epidemic.

“Zimbabwe has made great strides,” said Martha Tholanah, a prominent campaigner there for the rights of H.I.V.-infected and gay people. Everyone I spoke with agrees.

This is all the more remarkable given the economic catastrophe of the past 10 years (in 2009, the central bank issued a 100 trillion Zimbabwean dollar banknote that was worth about $30 in U.S. currency) and given Zimbabwe’s repression. Gay male sex is illegal, and Robert Mugabe, Zimbabwe’s dictator, is scorching in his denunciations of homosexuality. “There is probably still fear of the health system,” said Ben Cheng, who researches diagnostic tools for H.I.V. at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, and spends a lot of time in Zimbabwe. Gay men there, he says, “are probably not coming in to be tested.”

Still, here’s what Zimbabwe has done right:

It put its own money into fighting H.I.V. In 1999, the country instituted a 3 percent tax on income and corporate profits to fund AIDS programs. That continues, although the totals collected have suffered in synchrony with a failing economy. But few other poor countries have tried to do as much to pay for fighting the disease.

Some of the country’s leaders on H.I.V. are serious and competent, including Tsitsi Apollo, who directs the country’s response.

Deborah Birx, the United States’ global AIDS coordinator and head of Pepfar, said that the biggest global challenge is the first 90 in the 90-90-90 formula: getting people tested so that they know their H.I.V. status. It’s especially difficult to reach young people, so Pepfar focuses on them. “More than half of men under 35 and almost a third of women under 25” who have H.I.V. don’t know they’re infected, Birx said. “So they’re unintentionally passing it on.”

These groups are a priority in Zimbabwe as well. The country has a widely praised program to help adolescents stay on treatment, employing H.I.V.-positive teens as front-line workers.

And if men won’t come to the health clinic, the clinic goes to them. Mobile testing and even circumcision teams go in the afternoon and evenings to shopping centres, bars and other places where men congregate. (Male circumcision offers some protection against H.I.V.) “Men can now get circumcised at night at their favourite watering holes!” the Hatcliffe Polyclinic advertised.

But there’s a lot Zimbabwe still must do. “When we sit in committees with the National AIDS Council, it seems that everything is in place,” Tholanah said. “But in the communities, you find out there are such a lot of things communities lack.”

She said that clinics don’t talk to patients about managing the side effects of medicines. Labs frequently lose blood tests, and when the tests do come back, it’s with absurd delays. The results from one of her blood tests, taken in April, arrived in August, she said.

Perhaps most important, money is so short that needed drugs are not always acquired. One is fluconazole, an important drug that treats thrush and other fungal diseases in AIDS patients. Cheng visited a number of health centres and found that almost none had the drug. “They’re doing a much better job managing antiretrovirals,” he said. “But with drugs for opportunistic infections, stock-outs are still a common occurrence.”

Tholanah said that even some antiretrovirals are now going missing. “When things are O.K., people go every three months,” she said. “But of late, they’re not O.K.” She said that for some second-line drugs, clinics are giving out only a week’s supply and that she had heard of people getting only three days’ worth.

So they have to go back to the clinic over and over, which means paying for transportation, paying that dollar and enduring a long wait. Patients have started sharing drugs, she said. “And yesterday I heard that even for first-line drugs, they’re now giving a one-month supply,” she said. “That’s a red flag.”

Until recently, funding H.I.V. medicines worldwide looked like a noble, necessary — and never-ending — project. Now we know that treatment is prevention. Do it wide and well enough, and AIDS could be defeated. “This program started as a humanitarian outreach effort to demonstrate the compassion of the American people,” Birx said of Pepfar. “Now it’s translated into a program controlling the epidemic.”

U.S. AIDS strategy to focus on 13 countries close to controlling epidemic

The United States will concentrate its resources on 13 countries with high levels of HIV that have the best chance of controlling the AIDS epidemic under a strategy unveiled on Tuesday, September 19, 2017.

U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson outlined the priorities of the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief or PEPFAR, a cornerstone of U.S. global health assistance, which supports HIV/AIDS treatment, testing and counselling for millions of people worldwide.

“The Trump Administration remains deeply committed to the global HIV/AIDS response and to demonstrating clear outcomes and impact for every U.S. dollar spent,” Tillerson said in the report.

The State Department has stressed that it will continue offering treatment to people who are already receiving it.

PEPFAR will continue to operate programs in more than 50 countries. To maximize its impact, however, it will focus much of its efforts on 13 countries that are nearing epidemic control – the point where there are more deaths each year from AIDS than there are new HIV infections.

Those countries include Kenya, Zambia, United Republic of Tanzania, Uganda, Zimbabwe, Malawi, Lesotho, Ivory Coast, Botswana, Namibia, Swaziland, Haiti and Rwanda.

“We’ve really focused on accelerating in these countries that we can get over the finish line, together with communities and governments,” Ambassador Deborah Birx, the U.S. global AIDS coordinator, said in a telephone interview.

The work would be done in collaboration with the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, UNAIDS, and others.

Five of the target countries – Lesotho, Swaziland, Malawi, Zambia and Zimbabwe – are already nearing control of their HIV epidemics, based on national surveys from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Columbia University and local governmental and non-governmental partners.

Faith leaders vital for fast-tracking end of AIDS

Faith-based organizations have played a critical role in responding to HIV since the start of the epidemic more than 35 years ago. Their position of trust at the heart of communities has allowed them to provide services and support that extends beyond the reach of many public-sector health systems.

Faith-based organizations are now at the heart of a special mission, issuing a call to action to ensure that infants, children and young people have access to HIV prevention, testing and treatment.

There are good reasons for the call to action: UNAIDS’ latest report, Ending AIDS: progress towards the 90–90–90 targets, shows that in 2016 there were 2.1 million children aged 0–14 years living with HIV and less than half had access to treatment. Without treatment, around one-third of children living with HIV will die by their first birthday and half by their second.

One of the main reasons that children and young people are not accessing treatment is the low HIV detection rates. In 2016, only 43% of babies born to mothers living with HIV were tested for HIV within the first two months of life. Without knowing whether a child has HIV it is impossible to access treatment.

The UNAIDS report also shows that 2.1 million adolescents aged 10–19 years were living with HIV, a 30% increase from 2005, highlighting the urgent need to ensure that adolescents are freely able to access age-appropriate HIV services, including HIV prevention, treatment and care.

Concerted global efforts are being made to address these disparities. In 2016, United Nations Member States committed to putting special emphasis on providing 1.6 million children with access to antiretroviral therapy by 2018 and ensuring that children, adolescents and adults living with HIV know their status and are immediately offered and sustained on affordable and accessible quality treatment.

These ambitious targets, the Super-Fast-Track approach for children, have been incorporated into the Start Free, Stay Free, AIDS Free framework to galvanize action, led by UNAIDS, the United States President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) and partners, which seeks to put the world firmly on a path to ending AIDS among children.

The engagement of the faith community is paramount to achieving these goals and in 2016 faith groups held a series of consultations at the Vatican on how to accelerate action. To further strengthen relationships and forge new partnerships, the World Council of Churches–Ecumenical Advocacy Alliance, in collaboration with UNAIDS, PEPFAR and the United Nations Interagency Task Force on Religion and Development, hosted an interfaith prayer breakfast on 13 September on the sidelines of the 72nd session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York, United States of America.

Faith leaders from a multitude of religions came together at the event, all of whom agreed to support a coordinated faith-based effort in responding to HIV. Different calls to action and declarations were formulated calling for strong follow-up actions, recommendations and commitments to ensure a Fast-Track faith-based response to make HIV testing and treatment available for children and adolescents by 2020.

QUOTES

“WE ARE LITERALLY TALKING ABOUT SURVIVAL. THE SURVIVAL OF CHILDREN WHICH DEPENDS ON EFFECTIVE ACTION BY THE NATIONS OF THE WORLD. WHAT MORE NOBLE PURPOSE COULD UNITED NATIONS BE UNITED AROUND. WE ARE EACH CALLED TO LOOK TO OUR VARIOUS FAITHS, AS THE FOUNDATION FOR OUR RESPONSE TO HIV.”

SISTER CAROL KEEHAN CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER OF THE CATHOLIC HEALTH ASSOCIATION OF THE UNITED STATES

“FAITH-BASED ORGANIZATIONS HAVE BEEN VITAL TO THE GLOBAL AIDS RESPONSE SINCE THE VERY BEGINNING, SAVING AND IMPROVING MILLIONS OF LIVES. AS WE FAST-TRACK TOWARD ACHIEVING EPIDEMIC CONTROL, THE POWERFUL LEADERSHIP AND UNIQUE REACH OF THE FAITH COMMUNITY IS AS IMPORTANT AS EVER.”

DEBORAH BIRX UNITED STATES GLOBAL AIDS COORDINATOR AND SPECIAL REPRESENTATIVE FOR GLOBAL HEALTH DIPLOMACY

“CHILDREN SHOULD BE AT THE CENTRE OF OUR ATTENTION AND WORK. THEY ARE THE MOST VULNERABLE AND AT THE SAME TIME THE LEAST RESPONSIBLE FOR THIS SITUATION. SO LET’S DO THIS TOGETHER – WE CAN. MAY GOD GIVE US THE COURAGE.”

REV. DR OLAV FYKSE TVEIT WORLD COUNCIL OF CHURCHES GENERAL SECRETARY

OUR PARTNERSHIP IS KEY. FAITH-BASED ORGANIZATIONS ARE NOT JUST A PART OF THE RESPONSE THEY ARE AT THE CORE OF IT. IT IS CLEAR THAT WE NEED TO STEP UP ACTION TO ACHIEVE THE PAEDIATRIC TARGETS.

LUIZ LOURES DEPUTY EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, UNAIDS

“OUR COMPASSION MUST BE STIRRED FOR CHILDREN AFFECTED BY HIV, ESPECIALLY CHILDREN RAISING OTHER CHILDREN BECAUSE THEIR PARENTS DIED OF AIDS. WE NEED TO SUPPORT THE QUIET HEROES WHOSE NAMES ARE NEVER MENTIONED AND YET THEY ARE THE ONES CARING FOR THOSE CHILDREN. CAN YOU IMAGINE THE DAY WHEN THE CHAPTER ON AIDS IS CLOSED AND A NEW CHAPTER IS WRITTEN?”

SCOTT ARBEITER PRESIDENT, PRESIDENT OF WORLD RELIEF

Visit the PANCAP Faith Leaders page here.

First Lady of Guyana and PANCAP Champion to promote sexual and reproductive health of adolescent girls

Guyana’s First Lady and PANCAP Champion for Change, Mrs Sandra Granger, joined with the First Ladies and Spouses of Heads of Government of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM), members of the Organisation of African First Ladies Against HIV/AIDS (OAFLA) and First Ladies from other continents to commit “to mobilise resources so as to prioritize investments in women’s and youth’s health and in particular, the sexual and reproductive health of adolescent girls”.

Representatives of the African Union Commission (AUC), United Nations agencies, the private sector, philanthropists, and civil society, including youth organisations, attended the high-level meeting, which was hosted during the 72nd United Nations General Assembly in New York.

A Communique issued at the close of the meeting said that the group committed to forming partnerships to advocate for commitments to further secure the rights of young women and adolescents.

The First Lady has been a firm advocate for the empowerment of women through education and is engaged in several projects aimed at improving opportunities for them to lead productive lives. Mrs Granger and the First Ladies and Spouses of CARICOM, through the ‘Every Caribbean Woman, Every Caribbean Child” Initiative, aim to share their knowledge and experience with the view of impacting policy direction for the good of women and children throughout the Region.

The First Lady, in collaboration with the Government of Guyana, is also working towards the reintegration of adolescent mothers into the education system and their social and economic development. She has also thrown her support behind the creation of youth-friendly health centres for teenage girls and boys and teenage parents, which provide counselling and other support services.

Read more about the PANCAP Champions for Change here.

SASOD Hosts World Suicide Prevention Day Vigil

SASOD held a vigil on Saturday, September 9, 2017, on the eve of World Suicide Prevention Day at its office in Duncan Street, Lamaha Gardens, Georgetown Guyana under the theme ”Take A Minute, Change A Life.”

Hosted by SASOD’s Homophobia Education Coordinator, Anil Persaud, the ceremony was highlighted by a rendition of the song “Stand Up For Love” by SASOD member, Keimo Benjamin and an address by guest speaker, attorney-at-law and Chairperson of the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation Board of Directors, Kesaundra Alves.  Her address underscored the seriousness of depression and mental illness.  She stated “survivors are crying out loudly for help and will only reach out for support if they feel safe and protected by the laws”.  She also emphasised the need for the decriminalization of attempted suicide in Guyana.

In a press release, SASOD stated “the need for protection and security by laws and entities put in place to assist those battling with depression lingered in the ‘suicide note’ left behind by former Board Secretary of SASOD and human rights and LGBT activist, Zenita Temall Nicholson. The saddening letter of turmoil, and inexhaustible but futile efforts to reach out for help was read by founder and Managing Director of SASOD, Joel Simpson”.

In keeping with the theme, members of the gathering took some time to voice their understanding and experiences with suicide. The evening ended with the lighting of candles, a minute of silence for all the lives lost to suicide and a pledge to aid in the prevention of suicide.

SASOD commenced its first on-site counsellor programme.  The counsellor will be available every Monday, Wednesday and Friday for counselling sessions. SASOD advised that persons interested in seeking the free counselling services should call the office on telephone numbers 225-7283 or 623-5155 to make an appointment with the social worker. The organisation further described the service as “very safe and the counselling is done in a secure, confidential space with a trained professional”.

SASOD further stated that “through sensitization and observances like this year’s World Suicide Prevention Day Vigil, the organisation hopes to initiate a more serious discussion that would involve more strategic mechanisms by both governmental and civic stakeholders to address the inequalities which are at the root of the suicide epidemic in Guyana”.

NHAC Barbados promoted HIV prevention at CARIFESTA XIII Grand Market

The National HIV/AIDS Commission (NHAC), Barbados, participated in the CARIFESTA XIII Grand Market at the Lloyd Erskine Sandiford Centre (LESC). The NHAC posted via social media that the ‘HIV messages were well received by patrons and exhibitors attending the Grand Market’.

Regional exhibitors lauded the presence of NHAC and its display of HIV informative materials and commended Commission staff for creating a “safe haven” with a wide selection of education on HIV and AIDS.

All of the comments received were positive, those who wrote in the NHAC’s guestbook on site said: “very informative,” “excellent,  it was very informative and I learnt several things that I had no idea of,” “female condoms are bigger than I anticipated,” and “wealth of information received, I am leaving the village to use these things”.

Several visitors to the NHAC’s exhibit also noted that the wide variety of the condoms on display at the Carifesta XIII Grand Market were not available in their respective countries.

PANCAP congratulates the NHAC for consistently utilizing prime opportunities and events for HIV education.

Students participate in NHAC Barbados Transition to Secondary School (T2S) Programme.

First-year students at the Combermere and Alleyne Schools participated in The National HIV/AIDS Commission’s (Barbados),  ‘Transition to Secondary School’ (T2S) Programme on Wednesday, September 20.

T2S is a joint initiative, with the Ministry of Education, Science, Technology, and Innovation, initially funded by the European Union. It is a fun, interactive, half-day workshop for first form students in all Government Secondary Schools, designed to reduce their vulnerability to HIV and other sexually transmitted infections. It also teaches students how to make good decisions in the new school environment and strategies for coping with some of the challenges of transition.

Emerging Caribbean LGBTI Leaders Successfully Complete First Leg of Leadership Training Academy

Fifteen (15) Caribbean activists from six (6) countries including Belize, the Dominican Republic, Guyana, Jamaica, Suriname and Trinidad & Tobago, participated in the first leg of the inaugural Caribbean Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Intersex (LGBTI) Leadership Academy.  The event was held at the Grand Coastal Hotel at Plantation Le Ressouvenir in Guyana from September 14 to 16.

The first of its kind in the region, the Academy, hosted by the regional LGBTI network, Caribbean Forum for Liberation of Genders and Sexualities (CariFLAGS), endeavours to strengthen emerging LGBTI leaders through two tailored residential training programmes in Guyana and Suriname, online sessions between workshops, as well as coaching and mentoring with existing Caribbean human rights leaders. Dane Lewis, CariFLAGS’ Regional Programme Manager from Jamaica, noted in his opening remarks that “in many spaces capacity is still maturing and organizational infrastructures are loose and so this is an opportunity to ensure that the next wave of leaders address many of the things we learnt while doing from now in preparation for their new roles.”

In his charge to the Academy, Dr Douglas Slater, Assistant Secretary-General for Human and Social Development at the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) Secretariat and a former Minister of Health in St. Vincent and the Grenadines, identified every participant of the workshop as being a ‘Champion of Change.’ The Pan-Caribbean Partnership on HIV and AIDS (PANCAP), which Slater oversees, had just days before re-launched its Champions for Change initiative with 16 Caribbean persons being

The Pan-Caribbean Partnership on HIV and AIDS (PANCAP), which Dr Slater oversees, had just days before re-launched its Champions for Change initiative with 16 Caribbean persons being awarded the prestigious title, including CariFLAGS’ Co-Chair Lucien Govaard from Suriname and Managing Director of the Society Against Sexual Orientation Discrimination (SASOD) Joel Simpson from Guyana.

Dr Slater reflected that “to achieve change will require hard work, optimism, boldness, teamwork and the ability to inspire and motivate others to become leaders. Encouraging others to become leaders will be important in ensuring a sustainable flow of leadership to continue and effect change.” Discrimination, he noted, has prevented the world from recognizing and celebrating the humanity of individuals based on commonalities rather than differences.

At the closing ceremony, the participants were encouraged by the lead facilitator, Martha Carrillo of Belize, to ensure they remain focused and committed in order to complete the required credit hours for successful completion of the programme. SASOD’s Joel Simpson thanked the Caribbean Vulnerable Communities Coalition (CVC) for supporting the CariFLAGS vision of the Caribbean LGBTI Leadership Academy to rejuvenate and replenish community leadership in the region, and strengthen and revitalize CariFLAGS as the pan-Caribbean LGBTI network across language barriers.

CVC’s Monitoring and Evaluation Officer, Kristina Mena, said that, “CVC is a proud partner of CariFLAGS and endorses its flagship programme, the Caribbean LGBTI Leadership Academy, which is building the capacity of the next generation of leaders, who are committed to challenging barriers and creating a world of inclusion and equality.”

“I like this process of coming from within then moving outwards. This helps us to understand ourselves and each other and makes us better leaders to our communities,” said Rosalba Karina Crisóstomo from the Dominican Republic in Spanish. In closing, Lucien Govaard, CariFLAGS Co-Chair, charged participants to stay connected and engaged in order to capitalize on the milestone achieved thus far.

New Chair and Vice Chair elected to PANCAP Steering Committee on Youth Advocacy

Mr Kevin Mendez from Belize was elected Chair and Ms Alexus D’Marco from The Bahamas was elected Vice Chair of the PANCAP Steering Committee on Youth Advocacy.

Kevin Mendez is the President of the Belize Youth Empowerment for Change, Ministry of Health and a HIV/TB Adherence Counselor.  Alexus D’Marco is the Director of the DMARCO Organization.  She is a Bahamian transgender and human rights defender.  She is also an advocate for marginalized groups and national issues advocate for LGBT.

The election was conducted during the second meeting of the PANCAP Steering Committee on Youth Advocacy.

Other committee members include Mr Lucien D. Govaard, Representative, Caribbean Forum for Liberation & Acceptance of Gender & Sexualities (CariFLAGS), Ms. O’Cindy Cynthia Samuels, Representative, Caribbean Sex Work Coalition (CSWC), Mr. André Browne, Dean CARICOM Youth Ambassadors Corp., Ms Renatta Langlais, Caribbean Regional Network of People Living with HIV (CRN+), Ms Cedriann Martin,  UNAIDS Caribbean Sub-Regional Office, Mr Dennis Anthony Glasgow,  Youth Coordinator, Guyana Responsible Parenthood Association, Mr. Sheldon Terrance Henry,  CARICOM Youth Ambassador and Foreign Service Officer, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ms Raymoniya Lawrence, Programme Assistant, Equality for All Foundation, Ms Terisa Camille Thompson, CARICOM Youth Ambassador, Ministry of Education, Youth and Information and Mr. Salorne McDonald, CEO of Jabulous.

The meeting was also supported by Director of PANCAP, Mr Dereck Springer and PANCAP Youth Advisor, Mr Astel Collins.

The Director of PANCAP discussed PANCAP’s focus on youth through its Global Fund project. He explained that the project included the development of the Youth Advocacy Framework on Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights, the establishment of the Steering Committee to oversee the implementation of the Framework and the support required by youth leaders during the project. He highlighted that youth leaders will be trained in advocacy, selected youth will be facilitated to engage in high-level advocacy and two annual meetings will be convened. These meetings will be planned and facilitated by youth for youth.

PANCAP congratulates the new Chair, Vice Chair and committee members and expresses gratitude for their dedication.

Visit the PANCAP Youth web page here. 

Who are the PANCAP Champions for Change?

PANCAP relaunched the Champions for Change initiative after an eleven-year hiatus. The two-day event was be held from Tuesday, September 12 to Wednesday, September 13 at the Guyana Marriott Hotel, Georgetown, Guyana. The keynote speaker was the Rt. Hon. Sir Charles Michael Dennis Byron, President of the Caribbean Court of Justice.

Below are profiles of each of the new Champions.

Sandra Marie Granger, First Lady of Guyana 

Guyana’s First Lady was recognized for outstanding leadership and championing of the ‘Every Caribbean Woman Every Caribbean Child’ Initiative and stellar work in improving the lives of children and women in Guyana.

Profile

Sandra Marie Granger is the First Lady of the Cooperative Republic of Guyana. Since becoming First Lady, she has immersed herself in activities aimed at improving the lives of the most vulnerable sectors of the Guyanese population. She is a member of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) Forum of First Ladies and Spouses of Heads of Government, which focusses on reducing adolescent pregnancy, cervical cancer, mother-to-child transmission of HIV, and domestic violence in the Caribbean. She is a Champion of the Every Caribbean Woman Every Caribbean Child Initiative and the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation’s School Feeding Programme. She holds two Bachelor of Arts Degrees in English Literature and in Portuguese, respectively, from the University of Guyana.

Dr Allyson Leacock

Dr Allyson Leacock was recognized for leadership as Executive Director of LIVE UP: The Caribbean Media Alliance and championing the HIV response in the Caribbean.

Profile 

Dr Allyson Leacock is the Executive Director of LIVE UP: The Caribbean Media Alliance. She has 34 years of experience in executive management and has been involved in all aspects of broadcast media for 40 years. For the past 10 years, Dr Leacock has led a coalition of 112 Media Houses in 24 Caribbean countries as part of the LIVE UP Campaign, training over 2000 Caribbean broadcasters. She is currently on the Executive Board of the Global Media AIDS Initiative (GMAI) and served 4 years as Chairman of the Global Steering Committee for the World AIDS Campaign. Her professional training includes both Masters and Ph.D. Degrees in Educational Technology from Concordia University, Canada.

Dr Arif Bulkan 

Dr Arif Bulkan  was recognised for leadership in advancing the University Rights Advocacy Project and creating a safe space for LGBT students at The University of the West Indies.

Profile

Dr Arif Bulkan is an attorney-at-law who formerly practiced law in Guyana as a prosecutor and then criminal defence lawyer. He has a PhD in Law from Osgoode Hall Law School in Toronto, Canada, and currently lectures constitutional law and human rights law in the Faculty of Law of the St Augustine Campus of The University of the West Indies. As a consultant for PANCAP, Arif Bulkan produced a National Assessment on laws and policies impacting on HIV and AIDS in Guyana. He is a co-founder of The University of the West Indies Rights Advocacy Project [U-RAP], which aims to promote human rights, equality and social justice in the Caribbean through litigation and advocacy. He was conferred with the Anthony N. Sabga Award for Public and Civic Contributions in 2017.

Canon Garth Minott 

Canon Garth Minott was recognized for significant work and advocacy towards greater involvement of the faith community in national and regional HIV responses.

Profile 

Canon Garth Minott is the Canon of the Cathedral in the Diocese of Jamaica and the Cayman Islands, a member of the Religious Groups Steering Committee of the Jamaica Council of Churches and Chair of the board of directors of the Jamaica AIDS Support for Life and the Regional Faith Based Organisation Steering Committee to end AIDS by 2030.  He lectures in the field of Practical Theology at the United Theological College of the West Indies, where he served as Deputy President for a two-year term. A graduate of the University of the West Indies and McGill University, Canon Minott has published articles in the Journal of Caribbean History, Groundings, and, the Journal for the Network of African Theological Institutions. His most recent publication was titled “Living by faith in challenging times: A Caribbean view on what it means to say ‘God will take care of us.” He is the recipient of the CIBC RBC Bank Unsung Hero Award for his work in the area of HIV and AIDS.

Dr Frank Anthony 

Dr Frank Anthony was recognized for outstanding work in public health and demonstrated understanding of the critical role that parliamentarians can play in ending AIDS.

Profile  

Dr Frank Anthony is a Member of Parliament and serves on the parliamentary management committee and the parliamentary standing committee on constitutional reform in Guyana. He has worked in the public health sector from 1993 to 2006 as a physician, epidemiologist and Executive Director of the Health Sector Development Unit, Ministry of Health, Guyana. Dr Anthony was the Minister of Culture, Youth and Sports a position he held from 2006 to 2015. He is currently in private medical practice. He is also an adjunct professor in epidemiology at the University of Guyana and a member of the Guyana Medical Council. Dr Anthony received has a Medical Degree from the Russian Peoples Friendship University and a Masters in Public Health from the Hebrew University, Israel.

Dwayne Gutzmer 

Dwayne Gutzmer was recognised for leadership of the CARICOM Youth Ambassador Corps and youth advocacy.

Profile 

Dwayne Gutzmer is the Chief Executive Officer of the Institute of Law & Economics (ILE) with direct responsibilities for the Business Entrepreneurial Empowerment Programme (BEEP) & the Urban Lab for Youth Innovation Projects. He has served as President of the Junior Chamber International, Jamaica and Dean of the CARICOM Youth Ambassador Programme. Dwayne is the co-author of the “Caribbean Youth Advocacy Guide, A Road to Development”. He holds a Bachelor of Science Degree in Computing and Information Technology from the University of Technology, Jamaica, and a Masters in Business Administration with special focus in Finance from the University of Wales, UK.

Joel Simpson

Joel Simpson was recognised for advocacy work against sexual orientation discrimination in Guyana and regionally.

Profile

Joel Simpson is the founder and Managing Director of the Society Against Sexual Orientation Discrimination (SASOD) in Guyana. He has served as the UNESCO Human Rights Researcher at the HIV Education Unit at the University of the West Indies (UWI) St. Augustine Campus in Trinidad and Human Rights Associate at the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) country office in Guyana. He currently serves as the secretariat of the Caribbean Forum for Liberation of Genders and Sexualities (CariFLAGS).  He holds a Bachelor of Laws Degree from the University of Guyana and is a Chevening scholar with a Master of Laws Degree in Human Rights Law from the University of Nottingham in the United Kingdom.

Kenita Placide

Kenita Placide was recognised for advocacy and work in the LGBT community nationally, regionally and globally.

Profile 

Kenita Placide is a founding member and current Executive Director of the Eastern Caribbean Alliance for Diversity and Equality (ECADE). She is also the Caribbean Advisor for New York-based OutRight Action International. In 2009, she submitted the first written and oral presentation by United and Strong to Saint Lucia’s Constitution Reform Commission and followed with a submission to the Universal Periodic Review process at the United Nations in 2010. Kenita was instrumental in organising the first OECS regional security and human rights training for LGBT and sexual rights defenders in 2011 and a regional documentation training in 2013. She helped make history when United and Strong hosted an International Dialogue on Human Rights in 2012 with ARC International; the first of its kind in the Caribbean.

Laura Tucker-Longsworth, MSN. RN. O.B.E. 

Laura Tucker-Longsworth was recognised for leadership in the HIV response and demonstrated understanding of the critical role that parliamentarians can play in ending AIDS.

Profile 

Laura Tucker-Longsworth is the speaker of the National Assembly of Belize and Chairperson of the National AIDS Commission. She is an entrepreneur and owner of Nursing & Healthcare Services (NHS) Consultants Ltd. She is the Chairperson of the Disciplinary Committee for the Nurses and Midwives Council of Belize. She is the co-author of the evidenced-based paper entitled Harmonizing Nursing Education: Theory and Practice. She holds a Master’s of Science Degree in nursing from the Marcella Niehoff School of Nursing, Loyola University Chicago. She was honoured with the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (OBE) for her contribution to Nursing and Community Service.

Lucien Govaard 

Lucien Govaard was recognised for advocacy on LGBTI issues both nationally and regionally.

Profile 

Lucien Govaard is the Chair of the Caribbean Forum for Liberation and Acceptance of Genders and Sexualities (CariFLAGS). He serves as the representative of this organization on the PANCAP Executive board, the Regional Coordinating Mechanism as well as other PANCAP sub-structures. As a Surinamese national, he is active in several local organizations in the fields of youth development, HIV and the wellbeing of elderly people and LGBTI+ community in particular. Advocate, youth leader and active member of the Caribbean community are some of the capacities in which he dedicates time and energy to the achievement of change. Lucien is a freelance consultant in health communication and youth development

Nicolette Fernandes

Nicolette Fernandes was recognised for utilizing her platform as a sports personality for advocacy regionally and internationally.

Profile 

Nicolette Fernandes is a professional squash player who represented Guyana. She won the only gold medal for Guyana at the 2006 Central American and Caribbean Games in Colombia.  She was named Guyanese Sportswoman of the year for the year 2009 by the Guyanese National Sports Commission (NSC).  She also appears in the WISPA 2010 calendar, which features the top WISPA squash players.  She reached a career-high world ranking of World No. 19 in October 2013.

Dr Nigel Taylor

Dr Nigel Taylor was recognised for significant work and advocacy towards greater involvement of the faith community in national and regional HIV responses.

Profile 

Dr Nigel Taylor is the Minister in Charge of the Calvary Evangelical Church. He holds Doctoral Degrees in the disciplines of Theology and Psychology. He is also the President of the Barbados Evangelical Association and former Vice President of the Evangelical Association of the Caribbean. He served as Chairman of the National HIV/AIDS Commission of Barbados and engaged the denominations in the country to get involved in the response to HIV and AIDS. Dr Taylor was also part of the Barbados Delegation to The UN General Assembly Special Session on Drugs (UNGASS) and a Barbados’ representative to the 2012 AIDS Conference in Washington.

Dr Nikkiah Forbes

Dr Nikkiah Forbes was recognised for contributions as an Infectious Disease and Clinical Care Physician and contributions to the response to ending AIDS.

Profile

Dr Nikkiah Forbes is the Director of the National HIV/AIDS and Infectious Disease Programme at the Bahamas Ministry of Health. She is a Consultant in Infectious Disease at the Princess Margaret Hospital and Doctors Hospital and an Associate Lecturer at The University of the West Indies, School of Clinical Medicine and Research (SCMR), Bahamas. She graduated with honours from The University of the West Indies in surgery and was the first recipient of the SCMR’s Cecil Bethel Award as the top graduate in her class in 2002. She is actively engaged in medical research and presents her work at national, regional and international scientific meetings including the Infectious Disease Society of America of which she is a member.

Honourable Terrence Deyalsingh 

Honourable Terrence Deyalsingh was recognised for leadership as a member of parliament advocating for the end of AIDS.

Profile 

Honourable Terrence Deyalsingh is the Minister of Health and the Member of Parliament for St. Joseph, in the Republic of Trinidad & Tobago. Before his stint in politics, the Hon. Terrence Deyalsingh started his career as a lecturer in the Institute of Training and Development (INTAD). From 2003-2006 he was a member of the Cabinet -appointed Committee on Labour Market Reform and chaired the sub-committee on Labour Market Information, all of which derived from his passion for business management. Subsequently, Minister Deyalsingh entered the realm of politics, where he served as a Temporary Opposition Senator during the 10th Republican Parliament. He was appointed a Senator on November 2, 2010 and served until October 14, 2013, when he accepted the nomination to contest the St. Joseph constituency. During this tenure in the Parliament of Trinidad and Tobago, he has served on the Standing Orders Committee of the Senate, as well as on the Finance Committee.

Volderine Hackett

Volderine Hackett was recognised for advocacy and significant contributions to championing the HIV response in the Caribbean.  

Profile 

Volderine Hackett is the Deputy Programme Manager within the Communications Unit at the CARICOM Secretariat.  She is a Communications Specialist with more than eighteen years’ experience in the field of information and communications; half of which has been integrally linked to the Caribbean’s response to the HIV epidemic through PANCAP.  She has served as Technical Coordinator of the Inaugural Champions for Change Conference on reducing HIV and AIDS stigma and discrimination. From 2004-2010, she spearheaded the operational aspects of Champions for Change.  She has served as Head of Strategic Information and Communication within the PANCAP Coordinating Unit. In addition to a Masters in Communications from the University of Leicester, she holds a Bachelor of Science in Management and a Post-Graduate Diploma in International Relations from the University of Guyana.

Rev. Winston Mansingh

Rev. Winston Mansingh was recognised for significant work and advocacy towards greater involvement of the faith community in national and regional HIV responses.

Profile 

Rev. Winston Mansingh is currently the Senior Pastor of The Poonah Open Bible Miracle Centre (POBMC). He is a graduate of the Community Bible Institute, Brooklyn, New York, Open Bible Institute of Theology Trinidad & Tobago as well as the Haggai Christian Leadership & World Missions Training Institute, Maui, Hawaii. He is the President of The Faith-Based Network of Trinidad and Tobago and an Internationally Certified Educator on HIV and AIDS.

Vanessa Uziely Rosario Brito

Vanessa Uziely Rosario Brito was recognised for advocacy in human rights and facilitation of key populations access to justice in the Dominican Republic and regionally.

Profile 

Ms Brito joins 16 PANCAP Champions who received their awards from Hon. Nicolette Henry, Minister of Education (Guyana) and Dr Douglas Slater, Assistant Secretary-General, Human and Social Development, CARICOM Secretariat, during the opening ceremony on Tuesday, September 12.  Ms Brito was presented with her award by UNAIDS and PANCAP Advisor, Dr Edward Greene who referred to her many interventions for vulnerable groups including women and children; the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) community and persons living with or affected by HIV and AIDS.  She has a Law Degree from the Catholic University of Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic and a Masters in Corporate Law from the Antonio de Nebrija University, Madrid, Spain.  She is the Chairperson of the COIN Board and co-researcher on French Legislation in the field of HIV and AIDS for the University Hospital Center (CHU), Pointe-a-Pitre, Guadalupe. She is a Defense Lawyer on human rights and access to justice of vulnerable groups at the Human Rights Observatory for Vulnerable Groups of the Dominican Republic (ODHGV).  Ms Brito has studied best practices in holistic education on sexuality, sexual health and Human Rights at the Cuban National Center for Sexual Education (CENESEX). She is also the Chief Executive Officer and Founder of the Foundation for Savings, Loans and Multiple Services in Primary Health Care.  She has defended the right of access by the public to government information as the officer responsible in the Office of the Free Access to Public Information (National Office of Public Defense, Dominican Republic).  In addition to her full-time occupation as Operations Manager in the Center of Orientation and Holistic Research (COIN), she works as an independent legal consultant.

PANCAP extends congratulations to all the new Champions and anticipates collaborating on issues related to protecting vulnerable groups and creating an enabling environment for access to prevention, care and treatment without the fear of stigma and discrimination.

Visit the official Champions for Change web page here.