Our Community Voice of Strength

By Richard Agodzo As we commemorate World AIDS Day 2024, it is essential to reflect on this year’s theme: Take the Rights Path. This theme resonates deeply with Ghana’s ongoing HIV response, especially as we face critical challenges that threaten the health and rights of people living with HIV (PLHIV), including children born to HIV-positive mothers. Access to quality healthcare is not just a need; it is a right. For many Ghanaians living with HIV, this right is increasingly under threat due to persistent shortages of antiretroviral (ARV) drugs. These medications are a lifeline, preventing the virus from replicating, keeping immune systems strong, and enabling people to live healthy, fulfilling lives. However, recent stock shortages have endangered the progress we’ve made, putting PLHIV, particularly exposed infants, at significant risk. The Rights of PLHIV and the ARV Crisis The World Health Organization and UNAIDS have long emphasized that universal access to treatment is a cornersto...

By Richard Agodzo As we approach World AIDS Day 2024, the theme, Collective Action: Sustain and Accelerate HIV Progress , is a timely call for nations, stakeholders, and communities to re-energize efforts to fight the epidemic. In Ghana, while notable strides have been made, particularly in access to testing and treatment, there remain critical challenges hindering the country’s ability to fully achieve its HIV response goals. One of the most pressing issues is the government’s recurrent delays in clearing life-saving HIV medication donated by the Global Fund. Alongside this, the persistent failure to meaningfully involve communities in leading the response remains a major barrier to progress. The Medication Crisis: A Government-Induced Setback Over the years, Ghana’s HIV program has benefited immensely from the support of international partners like the Global Fund. The provision of antiretroviral drugs (ARVs) by such organizations has been crucial in sustaining treatment for people l...

By Akwasi Mensah My name is Akwasi Mensah, and I live with HIV. The day I found out about my status, my world fell apart. Fear, shame, and overwhelming despair crashed over me, and in that moment, I planned my suicide. I couldn’t see beyond the stigma attached to HIV, and I felt trapped in a reality I didn’t choose. The loneliness that followed seemed unbearable, and the idea of facing a life filled with judgment, rejection, and constant reminders of my status was too much to bear. For many people living with HIV, thoughts of suicide are not uncommon. The shock of diagnosis, coupled with societal stigma and the feeling that life as we knew it is over, often leads to an emotional spiral. But I stand here today as proof that even in the darkest of moments, life goes on. My diagnosis didn’t mark the end of my life; it marked the beginning of a journey toward resilience, acceptance, and hope. The road has not been easy, but I realized that my life, even with HIV, has value. I learned that ...