HIV+ People managing prevention work despite war

Listen to the Interview in English and French (Windows Media - 2.2 MB)

Read the transcript in English and French

"...Since he learned of his HIV+ status, Vital Risasi has helped save thousands of lives in war-ravaged Kisangani..."

In Kisangani, a town recovering from a long history of brutal war and extreme poverty, Vital Risasi and his peers living with AIDS influenced organizations to fund clinics, and convinced thousands to get tested for HIV in the last 2 years.  People living with HIV/AIDS are informing and protecting those around them in this Global Fund supported project, implemented by the United Nations Development Programme through the German Development Agency and the Reseau Congolais de Personnes Vivants avec le VIH  (RCP+).  Vital, now a president of RCP + explains why people living with HIV are crucial when preventing AIDS.

"...Girls as young as 13 are forced to engage in commercial sex work because their parents cannot take care of them… it is in the interest of everyone to care for people living with HIV/AIDS so that they, in turn, can protect those around them..."