“The first thing I thought of doing was to commit suicide. I saw that as the only option to escape the pain of having my HIV status exposed.”

These are the words of 28-year-old Dessy (not her real name), who hit rock bottom when someone she trusted revealed her HIV status to her community during a dispute that erupted between them. She is a transgender woman, who resides in the Erongo region. When she found out that she was HIV positive in 2021, she chose to share her HIV status with only a few people she trusted.

She made this decision to protect herself from fear of stigma and discrimination, which is common among people living with HIV.

Stigma and discrimination are usually intensified towards key populations (KPs), particularly female sex workers, men who have sex with men, and transgender individuals who face additional stigma due to social and cultural judgments.

This al so places ke y populations at a heightened risk of mental health issues, including low self-esteem and weak mental health, which triggers suicidal thoughts.

This resonated with Dessy. “I was shocked to hear him shouting that I am HIV positive. It was dehumanising, and I just wanted to die. I feared that the news of my HIV status would spread in my community, and that I would be discriminated against,” she narrated.

The psychosocial support of fered through the Key Populations Strengthening Techni cal Ass istance and Response (KP-STAR) for sustainable HIV prevention and treatment project saved her life. If you or someone you know is experiencing suicidal thoughts, help is available at the US embassy through KP-STAR. There are professionals ready to provide support.

In Namibia, Lifeline/Childline offers counselling services daily. KP-STAR is funded by the US government through the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) to strengthen HIV prevention for KPs to reduce the incidence of and mitigate the impact of HIV. KP-STAR is implemented by IntraHealth Namibia (IHN). IHN is a local non-profit and a leading local partner in public health.

It works with stakeholders at all levels of society, including the health, gender equality and education ministries. “I reached out to the KP-STAR regional coordinator, and was referred to a social worker in the Ministry of Health and Social Services because I had suicidal thoughts due to the extreme humiliation I experienced,” stated Dessy.

The project’s case managers provide services for people who have experienced gender-based violence (GBV) and intimate partner violence (IPV), as well as stigma and discrimination. “Continuous counselling from the social worker and the KP-STAR team restored my self-esteem and confidence. If not for their support, I would not be alive today to share my story,” she said. She has been a KP-STAR client since 2021 when she was first diagnosed with HIV.

The project mainly works with the health ministry to facilitate stigma-free access to health facilities in the top 10 towns with a high HIV burden to ensure coordinated service delivery for KPs in Namibia. Psychological support can help individuals affected by HIV to cope effectively with their status, and enhance their quality of life.