Student Advocacy

Students Taking Action on Global AIDS

Advocacy Partnerships in Africa

"Health workers can affect the health outcomes of whole communities not only through direct clinical care, but also by addressing issues of health and human rights. Through advocacy, health workers can target the root causes of public health challenges like HIV/AIDS and make positive change for our colleagues, patients and communities."
--Dr. Nelson Musoba, Executive Director, Action Group for Health, Human Rights and HIV/AIDS (AGHA) Uganda

Working with African Partner Organizations to Create a Powerful AIDS Advocacy Network in Africa

In Uganda, PHR has partnered with the Action Group for Health, Human Rights and HIV/AIDS (AGHA) and in Kenya, with the Kenya Health Rights Advocacy Forum (HERAF). These two African advocacy groups fight AIDS and defend the right to health by working to:

• Increase health sector funding
• Improve health infrastructure
• Ensure access to anti-retroviral treatment
• Address health worker shortages
• Expand prevention programming
• Combat stigma
• Reach vulnerable populations

African Health Professional Students and AIDS Activism

Health professional students from African countries can provide strong national and international leadership to promote sound HIV/AIDS funding, prevention, treatment and care policy. In addition to their expertise in clinical care, African health professional students have enormous power to contribute to their nations' fights against AIDS.

The Issues

African health workers are on the front lines of the fight against AIDS and bring a unique perspective to critical policy debates and issues facing African nations affected by HIV/AIDS, including:

• Funding: In many African countries, increases in health funding have not translated into speedy delivery of life-saving drugs. Health professionals can monitor and press for efficient distribution of drugs, equipment and financial resources.
• Health Worker Support: Many nurses, doctors and medical students struggle with insufficient salaries and career paths, as well as inadequate supplies of gloves, post-exposure prophylaxis and critical vaccines, causing many to immigrate to other countries to find work. By organizing together, they can demand that government and donors improve clinic safety and health worker support—critical interventions which will encourage African health professionals to build careers in their own countries.
• Stigma: Stigma in communities and health settings remains a major barrier to prevention and treatment. By conducting workshops and trainings on stigma, health professionals can break down stereotypes and move towards health care free of discrimination.

Ugandan and Kenyan Health Workers are Making a Difference

Hundreds of doctors, nurses, midwives, traditional healers, laboratory technicians, pharmacists, health managers, researchers, medical and nursing students and others have united in Uganda and Kenya to bring their clinical and scientific knowledge to bear on policy. They are taking action through:

• Public education via newsletters, policy briefs and media outreach
• Conferences and workshops on advocacy and human rights
• Advocacy to policy makers and the public through research, reports, education campaigns, public forums, sign on letters, action weeks and more
• Building leadership and advocacy among health professional students
• Networking with health and human rights organizations world wide

PHR is committed to working with our local partners to mobilize African health providers and institutions for positive change in national and international AIDS and health policy, programming and funding.