“I Am Because We Are” - African Proverb: A Cultural Response to Addressing HIV Among African Immigrants

Communities of color in the United States continue to be disproportionately impacted by HIV/AIDS. In Massachusetts, an increasing proportion of people living with HIV/AIDS were born outside of the US, with those born in Sub-Saharan Africa accounting for38% in 2007 - 2005. The African refugee and immigrant communities has lacked services that address the complexity of cultural and linguistic barriers which affect access to and engagement in HIV prevention, education and care. The Africans For Improved Access (AFIA) program at the Multicultural AIDS Coalition is the first program dedicated to addressing HIV/AIDS in African immigrant and refugee communities in the state. Established in 2000, the AFIA program has been instrumental in engaging the African community in its own process of empowerment by encouraging dialogue, decreasing stigma, and increasing access to health services. AFIA has formed partnerships with the faith community, other community-based civic organizations, cultural groups and service providers to ensure collective approach built on African principles and cultural understandings. The work of AFIA has been acknowledged in Boston, as well as the state and nationally. The presentation will highlight some of the approaches that the AFIA program has employed incorporating social and cultural norms, beliefs and practices into HIV risk assessments, HIV testing initiatives, and mobilization efforts. It will also provide examples of AFIA's capacity building mechanisms that have lead to community empowerment and sustainable community initiatives.