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Muluba Habanyama: Director of Communications and Programs, Ontario AIDS Network 

The Ontario AIDS Network is a nonprofit, HIV organization in Ontario. We are a network of almost 50 AIDS service organizations in Ontario. We do capacity building, skills building for executive directors, middle managers, front line workers, and people with live HIV. 

HIV has long since been around, but it is something that is still impacting and it is still an epidemic unfortunately in our communities. It is a virus that can be sexually transmitted, um, transmitted through substances, through drug use, and in some cases transmitted through birth. And impacts our communities by, one, of course, your immune system attacking your immune cells. Especially where we live in Ontario, where treatment is not universally covered. So people are actually getting sick with HIV that can lead to several other conditions that affect your immune system. And then of course HIV is something that is highly stigmatized and so, just living with HIV and having those social impacts it already affects our community and unfortunately, we do see that our communities are already disproportionally affected and so much more. 

When I was two, I got very sick. The doctors had looked at everything and when I was two years old, they doctors decided to test myself, my sister and my mother for HIV. They called my mother and said we reviewed the tests – you’re HIV positive and your youngest daughter Muluba is also HIV positive. At about 5 or 6 years old is when I officially learned my status. I’d been you know, in the hospital, I had a feeding tube, they were probably not sure back then the medications weren’t the best, so I had ADT for a little bit, and at about 5 or 6 years old I was on several pills. I knew something was up. but wasn’t clear on it. And then my mother had disclosed to me, um, my status. I didn’t quite understand it and the way the doctors had explained it was you have good soldiers in your bodies which are your immune system, and HIV are bad soldiers in your body that are attacking your immune system and that’s why you are taking medication to rebuild. So, I still – I’m almost 32 years old and I still describe it to people that way. 

You know, I would say HIV has become such a normal part of my routine now. I mean, I also worked at a not-for-profit AIDS service organization so I guess you could say HIV is a part of my life, but it doesn’t feel that vibrant in my life. But then, you know, coming to work is more so of an empowerment. 

With  donor dollars, the Ontario AIDS Network has a program called Positive Leadership Development Institute – otherwise known as PLDI. And, that Institute is actually for people living with HIV, and it’s not this support group that you could find in other organizations. It’s actually an Institute where people living with HIV can build their skills, build their capacity, and actually learn and empower them to get involved within the sector, or even get involved in some sort of working capacity that they want to do. And so that is something that the donor dollars have fundamentally helped in actually sending people to these retreats, to these institutes, and have helped us to continue to run this institute.  I can say as somebody who did the PLDI in all three levels in 2015, 2016 and 2017 and now it comes full circle that I’m now a staff member at OAN. 

Federated Health Charities helps the Ontario AIDS Network continue to run and support our Positive Leadership Development Institute. This is important because for every $1,000 that is sending a person to go and do the course in the Institute and so, it has been very, very important and we are very grateful for the dollars from Federated Health Charities.

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