Cindy Amaiza is a Kenyan

HIV/AIDS activist Socio-political activism to raise awareness about HIV/AIDS as well as to advance the effective treatment and care of people with AIDS (PWAs) has taken place in multiple locations since the 1980s. The evolution of the disease's progress into w ...

. She is an MPH student living in

Nairobi Nairobi is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Kenya. The city lies in the south-central part of Kenya, at an elevation of . The name is derived from the Maasai language, Maasai phrase , which translates to 'place of cool waters', a ...

. She is associated with Partnership to Inspire, Transform, and Connect the HIV response (PITCH) partner organization Ambassador for Youth and Adolescent Reproductive Health Program (AYARHEP). She is also the founder of Y+ Kenya, which united young people living with HIV such as herself from six separate Kenyan organizations into a national AYPLHIV network.

Activism

Soon after founding Y+ Kenya in late 2017, Amaiza, as national coordinator, found that many of her peers were taking expired

antiretroviral The management of HIV/AIDS normally includes the use of multiple antiretroviral drugs as a strategy to control HIV infection. There are several classes of antiretroviral agents that act on different stages of the HIV life-cycle. The use of mu ...

medications. Y+ Kenya brought the issue to the Kenyan Ministry of Health, which at first denied the existence of an issue. After the network presented testimony from about 40 young people, the Ministry stated that antiretrovirals had a

shelf life Shelf life is the length of time that a commodity may be stored without becoming unfit for use, consumption, or sale. In other words, it might refer to whether a commodity should no longer be on a pantry shelf (unfit for use), or no longer on a s ...

three months past the

expiration date An expiration date or expiry date is a previously determined date after which something should no longer be used, either by operation of law or by exceeding the anticipated shelf life for perishable goods. Expiration dates are applied to some f ...

, but under further pressure from Amaiza's group, the Ministry contacted the involved health centers and arranged for fresh replacement medication to be given to those affected. The group also campaigned for more

HIV-positive The human immunodeficiency viruses (HIV) are two species of '' Lentivirus'' (a subgroup of retrovirus) that infect humans. Over time, they cause acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS), a condition in which progressive failure of the im ...

people to be consulted in decisions by the Ministry of Health an
The National Syndemic Diseases Control Council
As of 2019, Y+ Kenya had six member organizations, all led by and serving people age 10–30. Each focuses on different issues, such as

transactional sex Transactional sex refers to sexual relationships where the giving and/or receiving of gifts, money or other services is an important factor. The participants do not necessarily frame themselves in terms of Prostitution, prostitutes/clients, but oft ...

, adolescent

sexual and reproductive health and rights Sexual and reproductive health and rights or ''SRHR'' is the concept of human rights applied to sexuality and Human reproduction, reproduction. It is the recognition of every person’s right to make fully informed and self-determined decisions ...

mental health Mental health is often mistakenly equated with the absence of mental illness. However, mental health refers to a person's overall emotional, psychological, and social well-being. It influences how individuals think, feel, and behave, and how t ...

, young female

sex worker A sex worker is a person who provides sex work, either on a regular or occasional basis. The term is used in reference to those who work in all areas of the sex industry.Oxford English Dictionary, "sex worker" According to one view, sex work is ...

s, and female drug users. Amaiza also worked to improve Kenya's planned

universal health coverage Universal health care (also called universal health coverage, universal coverage, or universal care) is a health care system in which all residents of a particular country or region are assured access to health care. It is generally organized ar ...

(UHC). Young people with HIV campaigned against its launch, as the

National Health Insurance Fund The National Health Insurance Fund or VLK () is a key part of the healthcare system in Lithuania. It was established in 1993. The fund finances primary care largely by capitation payments, with some fees for service and performance related pa ...

would have required payments for 6 to 12 months before access to healthcare, and had little coverage. Surveying her community, Amaiza's group collected opinions on improving the UHC plan, and advocated for some of those ideas to be included in th

enya AIDS Strategic Framework (KASF).

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Amaiza, Cindy Living people Kenyan activists Kenyan women activists Kenyan women's rights activists 21st-century Kenyan women 21st-century Kenyan people HIV/AIDS activists People from Nairobi Year of birth missing (living people)