| dc.description.abstract | I found this article interesting because it describes a strategy approved by the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria (the Global
Fund), the sexual orientation and gender identities (SOGI) strategy, which will help in the mission to eradicate HIV/AIDS from most at risk
populations (MARPS). -
I would like to validate this information by confirming that Kenya has never had marginalized populations or MARPS, such as female sex-workers
who have sex with women, male sex-workers who have sex with men, are intravenous drug users, and trans-gender, in their strategic plan until
2009/2010-2012/2013. That means that no budget was set aside by the government for HIV/AIDS-targeted interventions. Without a strategic plan
for the MARPS, it has been difficult for the development partners to provide funds. Furthermore, these subsets of populations are stigmatized and
criminalized in Kenya. Therefore, for the Global Fund to respond to SOGI by including these individuals in their agenda is a great push for
stakeholders, including governments, to not only put money into but also provide a conducive environment for interventions, thus cutting down the
chain of HIV transmission from the marginalized populations and MARPS to the general population, and vice versa. Civil society needs to lobby
development partners to increase funding for HIV prevention methods, particularly in women. | en |
