Boosting adherence to ARVs & fighting stigma through peer educators

The HIV/Aids scourge remains a major concern in the country. The effectiveness of a peer-led HIV prevention and care intervention is seen to be one of the strategies to fight the pandemic.

Emmanuel Manzi a peer educator at Remera health center, has been engaged since 2016 said he said that his role has helped in reducing he abandonment of antiretroviral therapy (ART) among patients.  He belongs to a group of 36 peer educators dedicated to sharing experience with people living with HIV on how to have healthy lives.

Emmanuel Manzi conducting a session of peer educators.

Remera Health Center which serves Kimironko and Remera sectors and other neighboring sectors is a partner to RRP+ in the HIV response. Services provided by the center include HIV testing, treatment, VCT/PMTCT, tuberculosis, among others.

“I am happy that this health center has a good number of clients due to peer education, many have stopped isolating themselves, are constantly on   antiretroviral therapy and the risk of careless deaths due to abandonment of ARVs has also reduced”, said Manzi

Remera Health center has over 3,000 clients and by 2019 the center had adopted the test and treat approach; where anyone who tests positive for HIV is immediately offered treatment.  The same health facility monitors patients on a constant basis until their viral loads drop to undetectable levels.

Another peer educator at Remera Health center is Eliane Nyiransabimana 49, who mobilizes PLHIV to adequately adhere to antiretroviral therapy. She takes them through the process of viral suppression in relation to proper adherence.

Eliane Nyiransabimana.

“We usually tell them that once you take your medicine well, you can do any work others can, support your family and live longer. What is most important is to respect medical advice”. said Nyiransabimana.

Nyiransabimana has both male and female clients she helps live in accordance to what is required of a person living with HIV; in terms of family issues, feeding, hygiene, physical exercise, and all what the body and mind require.

Both Manzi and Nyiransabimana stressed that a person who lacks peer advice is most likely to be affected by stigma or self-isolation and all what affects the body and mind than one who has encountered peers. Peer educators at Remera health center go beyond physical contact to sharing telephone contacts with clients, where they make frequent calls, to know their status.

Manzi further said, “There cases where a client is desperate and hopeless. We make several calls, and once this is done twice or thrice, the person changes positively. In the end, many have voluntarily asked to join our peer group”.

Another group of Peer educators, at the Solace ministries Health Center in Gasabo district.

In a survey conducted between October 2019 and June 2020 RRP+ and the Rwanda Biomedical Center (RBC), the main causes for PLHIV not enrolling into care were internal stigma, religion beliefs, negligence and community stigma.

RRP+ works in collaboration with over 5,000 peer educators who promote awareness on HIV prevention, effective health service uptake, targeting key and priority populations. Among other services they provide information on self-testing, condom use, Prevention of Mother to Child Transmission (PMTCT), Voluntary medical male circumcision-(VMMC) and support mental health.