In honor of World AIDS Day and as part of the “Footprints of Africa” program, Anita Isaacs, a prominent spokeswoman on AIDS, spoke to a full house in Yeager Recital Hall on Dec. 1.

Isaacs’ speech concerned the stigma attached to women living with AIDS in her home country of Namibia. She contracted HIV in 2000 from her husband who left her with their five children after he learned of her infection. Isaacs went public with her disease in 2002 and has since been a cornerstone for women all over the world living with AIDS.

“We call upon women in leadership positions,” Isaacs said, “to take care of people who are infected and affected.”

Students wore T-shirts saying, “Everyone is living with AIDS – if you are not infected, you are affected.” Periclean Scholars also sold African shirts handcrafted by women living with AIDS. All proceeds went to HIV/AIDS awareness programs in Namibia.

“We are looking at HIV as a women’s issue,” Isaacs said.

In Namibia, as in much of the world, men are the dominant figures in society. Isaacs explained that Namibian women are not even allowed to own their own home if their husband dies. She described the violence afflicted upon women and children.

Isaacs said a large factor in the spread of HIV is that men in Namibia consult traditional healers for medical help. The healers are only in the business to make money, and do not use any medicinal means of curing patients, she said.

Issacs once went undercover as someone seeking help to get an inside look at what traditional healers really do. One of the “cures” she observed them promoting involves a man raping a virgin or a young child.

The Namibian government designed the Women and Child Protection Unit to educate traditional healers on the laws they have to follow. The unit also educates women on the laws protecting them and how to handle violation of those laws.

Poverty plays a large role in the spread of HIV as well. Although anti-retrovirus drugs are free in hospitals, the transportation to the hospitals requires money and the treatment takes an entire day. Most women cannot leave their children for an entire day to receive medical attention. Therefore, Namibian women do not see their medicine as being “free.”

“We are training [young girls] on sex and sex safety,” Isaacs said. “We don’t talk openly about sex, but we opened up a platform two weeks ago where I can interact with the children of 15-28 years.”

Isaacs has also written, “You Wake Me Up,” a book about her life with AIDS. There is also a video biography and a book about her in progress. She will be in the United States, touring, until Dec. 10.

“[Isaacs] puts a human face on the problem of AIDS in Africa,” said Tom Arcaro, professor of sociology, who heads Project Pericles at Elon. “If this were happening in Europe or America, it wouldn’t be happening. There’s no way we would allow this many people to die.”

Reporter: Emily Silva - 12/05/07