Ms Martine Somda Dakuyo was 34 years old when she was diagnosed with HIV. The news, which she describes as traumatic, suddenly shattered all the hopes and plans of this mother of four. "I suffered a lot from the fear of dying prematurely and in deplorable conditions," she says. Despite a deep sense of anger and injustice, she finally came to terms with her status and even went public in the media to encourage people living with HIV to accept themselves and get help.
Today, with her treatments controlling her viral load and keeping her healthy, Martine can look forward to a happy and productive life. She is one of the pioneers in the fight against AIDS in Burkina Faso, having fought for nearly 29 years with the NGO Responsabilité Espoir Vie Solidarité (REVS+). This association, of which she is the initiator and President of the Board of Directors, works for the prevention of HIV, the care of people exposed to the virus and the promotion of their human rights.
"The fight against AIDS in West and Central Africa remains a health emergency," says Ms Somda. Although the HIV prevalence rate is 0.7% in Burkina Faso, Ms Somda asks us about the situation of key populations, who are more exposed to the dangers of HIV, and the reasons that lead to this sad reality. In particular, she mentions the political and security context in the region, proposed laws that discriminate against key populations and the low involvement of people affected by HIV in the fight against AIDS as obstacles to effective care.
In order to protect key populations from the dangers of HIV, Martine's ambition is to provide universal access to prevention methods, which are a crucial aspect of the fight against AIDS.
"Focusing on effective access to health and rights for people in situations of social rejection and criminalisation is the challenge for the fight against AIDS," she says.
In order to achieve universal access to prevention, care and follow-up services, Ms Somda advocates, among other things, greater involvement of people affected by HIV in the development of national AIDS strategies, better recognition of actions carried out on the ground and the elimination of social and economic inequalities that fuel the epidemic.
In addition, Martine expressed concern about conservatism and cultural, religious and traditional pressures that lead to stigma and discrimination against people living with HIV. This discrimination manifests itself in various forms; through verbal or physical attacks, threats, harassment, arbitrary arrests, she observes. Such behaviour is dangerous and represents a major obstacle to the fight against AIDS, as it discourages people living with HIV from seeking appropriate services. There is an urgent need to stop such violence in order to create a climate where the rights of people living with HIV are respected and protected. Establishing a more inclusive discourse, free of discriminatory and erroneous prejudices, will allow for a more effective response guided by values of respect, integrity and equality.
With this in mind, in 2015 REVS+ set up workshops and training for decision-makers, religious and customary leaders, health professionals, police and the media. The aim of these activities is above all to denounce stereotypes about people living with HIV and to put an end to discrimination.
"The contribution of community services to the response to HIV is well known and proven, as they complement the services offered by the public health system," explains Ms Somda. Ensuring the continuity of their activities and allowing the greatest number of people to benefit from them, is a necessity for effectively combating AIDS in the region. The resilience of networks such as REVS+, which ensured that prevention activities and care services for people affected by HIV were maintained, was one of the reasons why the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on people living with HIV was minimised.
Finally, to ensure the effectiveness of the fight against AIDS in the region, and more specifically in Burkina Faso, Ms Somda hopes to see more funding that is "more field-oriented, aligned with policies, strategies and in line with the needs of marginalised groups".
Through this exchange with Martine Somda, we see once again that there is still a long way to go to end AIDS in the region. However, this goal is within reach if all actors in the HIV response work together to develop multi-sectoral strategies. Implementing measures to achieve universal access to prevention services, eliminating HIV-related inequalities and stereotypes, and better managing investments are key priorities for ending AIDS by 2030.
