[Laurent Lwindi Mokota, HIV Program Manager]

One of the main accomplishments of the Community ART Group (CAG) strategy was a reduction in stigma.

The community is gaining awareness
about patients with HIV, that they are also important and that HIV is truly acknowledged as the same as other diseases.

Last year a big celebration was organised in Boguila.
Nine patients shared their stories
about living with HIV.

[Woman talking local language]

We don't do our meetings secretly.
We run our meetings with the patients outside.
And they try to express themselves.
They express themselves openly.

And if they need medication,
our patients do not have to
take them in secret.
They go to the pharmacy,
just like all the other patients
and they take THEIR medication.

I will explain what the CAG are.
It’s a group of patients
who live in the same area, in the same town.

They get together
and choose a leader from the group.

Then they come to us as a group
and we assess whether the members are in a stable condition.

We run viral-load tests and,
for patients who meet the criteria and are stable,
we provide them with enough drugs for six months.

That first day, when we begin
the treatment and give out the six months of medication,
we explain that they should stay in a group
and after six months, they must send one person with all their cards.

Their leader comes to our facility
and we give them another six months of medication.

After one year,
the whole team comes to the clinic
and our staff provide consultations,
known as annual consultations,
and run lab exams, in particular viral-load tests.

It is a very beneficial strategy
because our patients live in regions
where there are very few means of transportation.
The living conditions are poor
and the security situation is critical.

When a patient is given six months of drugs,
it allows them to stay at home and keep working in peace.
This way they aren’t constantly exposed, travelling on the road
like they would have to do if they were given drugs
for a month, every month.

When they are in a group,
they are also able to support each other.

We are currently assessing
the viral load of our patients,
and when we look at the results,
they are indeed good.
Why is that?
Because more than 75 per cent
of patients have a low viral load,
which for us is a good indicator
that the strategy is working well.