AEGiS-IFRC: Caribbean Red Cross committed to supporting those living with AIDS

Important note: Information in this article was accurate in 2006. The state of the art may have changed since the publication date.

Caribbean Red Cross committed to supporting those living with AIDS

International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies - May 5, 2006
Allison Ali

The Caribbean has the world's second highest rate of HIV/AIDS. In 2005 alone, the AIDS epidemic claimed an estimated 24,000 lives in the Caribbean, making it the leading cause of death among people aged 14 to 44 years. Some 300,000 people are living with HIV, including the 25,000 people who acquired the virus in 2005.

People are dying daily from this dreadful disease and the lives of those who live with it are surrounded by stigma and discrimination.

The Caribbean Red Cross is determined to do something about it. For three days in April, the Caribbean Red Cross HIV/AIDS Network (CARAN) met in Panama. The aim of the meeting was for CARAN to position itself and build capacity to deal with the ever-increasing challenges posed by HIV/AIDS.

The meeting was particularly important because, while National Societies and Overseas Branches (NS/OSB) have been scaling up their prevention and care activities, there still remains the need to work more with Persons Living with HIV (PLHIV). One of the issues discussed was partnering for improving the lives of the most vulnerable.

PLHIV are one of the most vulnerable groups in the Caribbean and it is essential that the Red Cross positions itself to be better able to work with this group and help improve their lives.

"This is what the Red Cross is all about - alleviating human suffering," said Terry Charles, a former CARAN Chair. "HIV/AIDS is a very serious issue that we must be more committed to."

Mr Charles said the signing of the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies and the Caribbean Network for Persons Living with HIV/AIDS (CRN+) in 2004 was a step in the right direction. The MoU encourages NS/OSBs to work at the local level with their respective PLHIV organisations.

This has, he said, been a challenge. "PLHIV are a very challenging group to work with primarily because many people are unwilling to be open that they have HIV or AIDS because they are afraid of being discriminated against," he explained. "The Red Cross must break all the barriers when it comes to HIV/AIDS and genuinely embrace PLHIV."

He encouraged NS/OSBs to work more closely with PLHIV, to find out their needs and support them as much as possible. If there are no PLHIV organisations in their country, NS/OSBs should team up with their Ministries of Health and other organisation working in the area of HIV/AIDS.

"No one organisation can stop stigma and discrimination or stop the spread of HIV/AIDS," he said. "We have to do it together and I think the Red Cross has a great deal to offer in terms of support and programmes."

"The increase in HIV/AIDS figures is a reality. We have to remember that the figures represent human beings and one of them could be in your family. One of these figures could be me or you."

John Fleming, Regional Health Delegate with the International Federation, said this meeting was very important because it defined the Caribbean Red Cross activities in HIV/AIDS for the next four years. NS/OSBs in this region have greatly increased their capacity to deliver high quality HIV/AIDS interventions over the past six years and have used this meeting to put a framework in place that will increase their capacity until 2010 and beyond.

"The Red Cross is in a privileged position in that we have a strong regional presence throughout the Caribbean and have a well trained and highly motivated membership," he said.

"As auxiliaries to the Ministries of Health, we can play a more important role in national health programming. Through links with government and strategic alliances with Networks of People Living with HIV, the Pan American Health Organisation (PAHO) and other non-governmental organisations, we can play a concrete role in contributing towards the achievement of the Millennium Development Goal of halting and reversing the spread of HIV/AIDS."

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