HIV Service Provisions for Africans Living in the United States: A National Agenda

The HIV pandemic continues to be a major health crisis affecting communities of color within the United States. Unlike other minority groups of color, African immigrant and refugee communities have lacked an indigenous body advocating and working to address the many cultural and linguistic barriers that affect HIV prevention, education, and care. In 2006, a small group of committed public health professionals came together to create a national body that addresses the increasing HIV rates in African immigrant and refugee communities – the National African HIV Initiative (NAHI). NAHI is an African-led initiative, comprised of organizations from across the United States, dedicated to improving the health outcomes of African immigrants and refugees living in the US by enhancing HIV prevention, education, and care through culturally competent advocacy, education, and research. Under the NAHI umbrella, members decided to convene four regional summits – Atlanta, GA; New England; Seattle, Washington; and Washington, D.C. NAHI has brought together more than 300 health and social providers, consumers, academia, faith leaders, government agencies, and African immigrants and refugees to across the nation to enhance partnerships and coordinate a national agenda to address HIV among African immigrants and refugees.