ASUNTA WAGURA (KENYA)

Source: The East African
Posted Friday, August 26 2011 at 18:22
ASUNTA WAGURA (KENYA)
The executive director of the Kenya Network of Women with Aids (KENWA), Wagura has been the public face of people living with HIV/Aids in Kenya for the past two decades. When she started raising people’s awareness about HIV, few were willing to talk about it and there was pervasive misinformation, stigma and discrimination. But her courage in speaking publicly about HIV has impacted millions of lives, giving hope that the disease is not a death sentence. In 2006, her decision to have a baby caused some controversy because people did not think that a HIV+ person could have a healthy child, but her son tested negative. Even though stigma remains for people living with HIV/Aids, Wagura has been the voice to those too afraid to disclose their status — her life has been a “prototype” that HIV+ people can live.