Mandisa is a South African based women, a public health expert and a qualified clinician with 16 years’ experience in the HIV and TB field. She is an AVAC Alumni- 2020/2021, a U=U pioneer in South Africa, a co-founder of U=U Africa Forum and an author. She obtained MPH, B-Cur degree, Advanced Clinical Management of HIV and Advanced Project Management. She has extensive experience in leading National HIV projects across the cascade and TB research project. She work closely with different United Nations (UN) agencies; Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) and United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) since 2018 to date. She was nominated by UNAIDS global office to attend a physical meeting held in Brazil in March 2020 to finalise the 2021-2026 Global Aids Targets and formed part of the UNAIDS Expert Group on Integration to the ‘target-setting for 2025. She was invited by UNAIDS Eastern and Southern Africa to a High Level Meeting held in April 2021 discussing strategies to translate the 2021-2026 Global Aids Strategy into regional context and ways in which the 2021-2026 strategy can be aligned to the Sustainable Developmental Goals (SDG’s). She also featured in a number of UNAIDS articles, their website and 2018 annual report. She published a number of HIV articles and presented in different national and international conferences. She was featured in HIV Mag (2021 Amazing people with HIV), Mail and Guardian (Powerful women in 2021), and presented at the WHO HIV Drug resistance report launch.
Angela Motsusi is a clinician with more than 10 years working in the clinical management of HIV and an HIV activist . She is a U=U pioneer in S.A and a co-founder of the organisation.
U=U workshops for HCW's and CHW's Demand Creation Community and Social Media Campaigns Radio and Television talks IEC Material Designing
U=U South AfricaAdvocating for PLWHIV sexual reproductive rights and prevention program (Concordant and Discordant partners)
U=U South AfricaPlatform to get real time non-judgmental advise from nurses living with HIV
Peer led Capacity Building for civil society, non governmental, government and private business.
U=U South AfricaTraining and Mentoring for HCW's in Aids Care Championing Patient Centered Care- Annual Conferences
U=U South AfricaHIV Testing and Assisted Partner Notification Peer Led- Community Based HIV Testing/Index /Couple Testing Safer Conception Service Advise and Referral Prep/HAART distributors
U=U South AfricaThis segment of serodiscordant couples (SDC) is aware of their discordance (that one of them has HIV and the other does not) and have had their relationship disrupted by it in some way. They may be experiencing blame over who brought HIV into the relationship, disconnection around sex, and/or discouragement around conceiving. The discordance has been so disruptive for some that they now face the “discordance dilemma.” They see the avoidance of HIV transmission at odds with preserving their relationship. Other couples endure the discordance out of love and commitment, but the risk of HIV transmission is still disruptive, complicating the things they want and value in their relationship—intimacy and children. For Serodiscordant partners enrolling in PrEP is often perceived as more burdensome than helpful. Bringing up PrEP may resurface undesirable, negative feelings associated with the discordance, such as blame, guilt, and even violence. In visiting an HIV clinic, SDC risk disclosing their discordance to others, and partners without HIV risk being mislabelled as HIV positive. And taking PrEP may bring on undesirable stigma from others. Thus, when SDC compare PrEP to other HIV-prevention tools like condoms, many struggles to be convinced of its relative effectiveness and appeal.
Read MoreThe sexual partners and drug injecting partners of people diagnosed with HIV infection have an increased probability of also being HIV-positive . However, partner testing services, including partner notification, for people diagnosed with HIV have not been routinely offered or implemented, therefore, uptake and coverage remains low. The benefits of partner and couples HTS have been well documented, including mutual support to access prevention, treatment and care services, as well as improved adherence and retention in treatment and prevention of mother-to-child transmission programmes . Partner testing also allows those in serodiscordant partnerships to prioritize effective HIV prevention, such as the use of condoms, immediate antiretroviral therapy (ART), medication adherence by HIV-positive partners, and pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) for HIV-negative partners
Read MoreProvides a venue for mutual disclosure of HIV status in an environment where support can be provided by a counsellor or health worker. Risk-reduction messages can be tailored depending on the outcome of the test results of both partners. Decisions about prevention, accessing treatment, care and support, and family planning options can be made together. Moreover, through couples testing, the counsellor can help create a safe environment in which the couple can discuss potentially difficult issues, such as sexual agreements. Sexual agreements are mutually agreed upon conditions or limitations about sexual behaviours within and outside of the relationship. Couples HIV testing and counselling provides a forum for open discussion about sexual agreements, with the help of a counsellor. This helps both partners fully understand the agreement which may better protect them from HIV
Read MoreIf you want counselling about living positive with HIV, struggling with adherence, status discloser to your partner or information about safer conception please send us an email to schedule an appointment