Education Fights AIDS International » The Circle of Love Campaign

The Circle of Love Campaign

Submitted by Caitlyn Bradburn on August 15, 2010Add Comment

by Caitlyn Bradburn, Technical Advisor

MAROUA, CAMEROON — HIV is not the death-sentence it once was. Anti-retroviral medications (ARVs) are free to those who qualify and recent research shows that young people, especially, in Cameroon have changed their behaviors to avoid HIV infection. Yet, for the members of the EFA associations, life with HIV continues to be a challenge. While he ARVs are “free”, they are not always widely available to the half-million people living with HIV in Cameroon, in fact, only 25% of people living with HIV in Cameroon are actually taking medication to treat it! Many HIV+ individuals face significant barriers to receiving care. Women and youth, in particular, often do not have the social power and standing to advocate for themselves; they often live their lives at the will of another. Poverty and the lack of financial resources account for another barrier. The average Cameroonian lives on about $2 a day. When transport and fees for the basic diagnostic tests can run $10, it is no wonder that basic medication does not receive a higher prioritization than food, shelter, and water.

When Laurel Doody and Kate Newton came to Cameroon to visit in April 2010, they were amazed at the beauties and wonders of Cameroon. But, more so, they were endlessly impressed by the resolve and pluck of the members of the EFA associations they got to meet. After spending a day making a quilt, The Circle of Love, with the female members of three of the EFA associations, the differences between the young Cameroonian women living with HIV and Laurel, Kate, and me all but disappeared. It became obvious that we could do something to help the association members obtain the basic health care that they desperately need.

Without hesitation, Laurel and Kate mounted a great fundraising effort: The Circle of Love. Through this campaign, you can be assured that your donation will go towards the diagnostic tests and necessary transport to obtain the tests for the youth in our associations who are living with HIV. Imagine, in the United States, $5 can buy you a fancy coffee, but here, it can be used for a CD4 test to enroll someone in the free ARV program. $20 in the United States can take you and a friend to the movies, $20 here can send someone to the doctor for an entire year.

When I think of my close friend, the Godola association president, Mairamou, I am frequently overwhelmed, often to tears, by my feelings of admiration for her. She is a young, only 32 years old, single mother of five. The father of her children left her when he discovered his HIV+ status. Even though she was completely faithful throughout their marriage, he blamed her for their shared illness. Instead of playing the easy role of victim, Mairamou rose up and, in the last several years, has become an influential person in her community. She tirelessly advocates for the infected and affected members of her association. But, advocacy only goes so far. This project help to assure that Mairamou, and the hundreds like her, can get the health care they need to live a positive life, support their families, and continue to fight this disease.