The International Community of Women Living with HIV Eastern Africa (ICWEA) was in 2012 recognized by The National Forum of People Living with HIV&AIDS Networks in Uganda (NAFOPHANU) for our outstanding performance as a Network of People Living with HIV that advocates for Access to Antiretroviral Treatment.
ICWEA, a regional advocacy network by and for women living with HIV, core to our existence is ensuring that women living with HIV in all our diversity have access to prevention, care and treatment services for healthier lives and this starts from accessibility of ART services free from discrimination and rights violations.
To achieve this, ICWEA has engaged the Ministry of Health, development partners, implementing partners to highlight the importance of providing ART to people living with HIV, the need to equip the health facilities mandated to provide these services and to respect the rights of women living with HIV including young women while accessing these rights.
ICWEA has additionally led advocacy campaigns challenging the government of Uganda to increase treatment and as a result, there was an expansion of treatment enrollment from 372,785 patients in June 2012 to 566,460 people living with HIV on treatment by June 2013 and in the 2015/2016 national budget, the number increased by 686,256 bringing the number of people living with HIV on treatment to 1.4 million.
More still needs to be done now that the researchers at the International Aids Society conference in 2015 recommended immediate treatment for anyone that tests HIV positive.
