I have the interesting distinction of having been to every International AIDS Conference for the past 18 years. Every time, I learn more. It's a rare opportunity to stand back from our daily work and look at the big picture of the worldwide response to the HIV/AIDS epidemic.
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Madhu Deshmukh at the 2008 AIDS conference in Mexico City.
Photo credit: CARE/Rick Perera
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I gain so much from others' experiences -- from professionals in many fields, but above all by interacting directly with members of grassroots community groups who confront the epidemic on a daily basis. CARE's work would be impossible without our partnerships with these local heroes.
These local partnerships are teaching us why people make the choices in their lives that affect their vulnerability to HIV. We know from our experiences in the field, for example in Lesotho, women tell us that they make difficult choices or decisions because of fear of not getting money or assets from the man. In Kenya, women say that even if clinics are available in their communities, they may not be willing to use them because they fear violence from husbands or in-laws. Even where 90 percent of women know what HIV is and how it is prevented, they may still choose to have unprotected sex because they need money or social protection.
The more we learn from these on-the-ground experiences, the more we can improve our ability to address the root causes that make people vulnerable to HIV infection especially empower women.
Posted by Madhu Deshmukh of CARE USA
