Inside the Villages: HIV testing in Buwolmera

Forty-five-year-old Monica lives in Buwolmera, one of our Healthy Villages. When her husband heard that UVP would be conducting HIV testing, he declared it a day for “knowing our status.” He said that Monica and her co-wife should ignore tending the garden for the afternoon and instead participate with him in UVP’s HIV and syphilis testing day in the village.
Monica was excited that her husband was supportive and that he had encouraged both of his wives to go for testing. Most of all, she was happy to have the opportunity to know her status. She says the importance of testing is critical especially in a marriage where a husband has multiple wives. That’s because there is an extremely high risk of infection in polygamous settings.
In Uganda, new HIV/AIDS infections are very high among married people. Polygamy has been cited by the Uganda AIDS Commission as the cause of a recent increase in HIV/AIDS rates. Multiple sexual relationships spread infection. Monogamous marriages with extra-marital sexual partners contribute 46% of the new infections.
--by Maureen Nakalinzi

Learn more: http://www.ugandavillageproject.org/what-we-do/healthy-villages/hiv/