Academy for Educational Development

Anti-Stigma Initiative Addresses Forgotten Aspect of HIV/AIDS

An HIV/AIDS diagnosis elicits stigma so strong that it prevents many Americans from getting tested, heeding prevention protocols and obtaining care, but a new initiative, managed by AED, is seeking ways to end the stigma.

The HIV/AIDS Anti-Stigma Initiative, funded by the Ford Foundation, is examining the impact of HIV/AIDS stigma in the United States and working with community-based organizations to create strategies to combat it. It is the first major program to address HIV/AIDS stigmatization in the United States.

"Despite the debilitating effects of HIV/AIDS stigma, such as social ostracism and discrimination, stigma remains one of the most poorly addressed aspects of the epidemic," said Margaret Anderson, senior program manager and deputy director of the AED Center on AIDS & Community Health.

AED recently awarded five nonprofits $180,000 each to develop and implement 18-month programs that will tackle the HIV/AIDS-related stigma in their communities.

AED will disseminate the results of each program to other community-based organizations in the United States and will work with the five funded groups to keep their projects running.

The other organizations receiving HIV/AIDS Anti-Stigma grants from AED are:

African Services Committee (New York)
Asian Pacific Islander Wellness Center (San Francisco)
Bienestar (Los Angeles)
South Carolina African American HIV/AIDS Council (Columbia, SC)
Us Helping Us (Washington, DC)

For more information, contact Stacy Little in the AED Center on AIDS and Community Health.