Christine Kafando
Christine Kafando (born 1971 or 1972) is a Burkinabé HIV/AIDS activist. Since the 1990s, she has been active in HIV/AIDS prevention and response efforts. For her work, she has been recognized by Burkina Faso's Order of Merit and France's Legion of Honour.
Biography[edit]
Kafando was born in Ivory Coast. She moved to Bobo-Dioulasso, Burkina Faso, in 1994.[1] She married her husband in 1997, at age 25. That year, they both attended an HIV screening; Kafando was HIV-positive, while her husband was not.[1] After the couple divorced, Kafando adopted two children, in 1999 and 2002.[1]
Kafando decided to devote her efforts to HIV/AIDS-related work. As a volunteer for a local organization, she advocated for HIV testing and acted as a liaison between patients and physicians.[2] In 2001, as part of her activism work, Kafando became the first Burkinese woman to publicly disclose her HIV-positive status.[1][2][3] She is credited with encouraging then-president Blaise Compaoré to declare his support for HIV/AIDS-related efforts, and to publicly announce that he himself would be tested for HIV.[1][2]
Kafando founded and serves as president of Espoir Pour Demain (Hope for Tomorrow), which serves children with HIV/AIDS in Bobo-Dioulasso, raises awareness on mother-to-child transmission of HIV, and trains youth to become peer educators.[3][4][5] She also coordinates the organization Maison des Associations de Lutte Contre le SIDA (House of Anti-AIDS Associations).[3][6]
In 2004, Kafando was decorated with Burkina Faso's National Order of Merit.[6] In 2011, she was named a Chevalier of the French Legion of Honour, by the French ambassador to Burkina Faso.[1][7] In 2014, she was awarded the International Prize by Sidaction, a French HIV/AIDS charity.[6]
References[edit]
- ^ a b c d e f Bienvault, Pierre (2011-11-28). "Une femme debout face au sida". La Croix (in French). ISSN 0242-6056. Retrieved 2020-02-02.
- ^ a b c "Community health worker leads the way in Burkina Faso". UNAIDS. 2017-07-19. Retrieved 2020-02-02.
- ^ a b c Giroux, Anaïs (2016-01-06). "Christine Kafando : " Les pays du Nord ont délaissé les pays du Sud " | Transversal : VIH & sida aujourd'hui". Transversal Mag (in French). Retrieved 2020-02-02.
- ^ D'Africk, Hervé (2010-05-25). "TEMOIGNAGE D'UNE SEROPOSITIVE : " Ce qui me fait mal, c'est… " - leFaso.net, l'actualité au Burkina Faso". Le Faso. Retrieved 2020-02-02.
- ^ "Helping the forgotten generation". UNAIDS. 2019-04-02. Retrieved 2020-02-02.
- ^ a b c Bernède, Marianne (2014). "Sur le front depuis vingt ans". Transversal. 75: 22.
- ^ Balima, Jacques Théodore (2011-04-14). "Ordre de la Legion d'honneur - La France salue l'engagement de deux Burkinabe". allAfrica.com. Retrieved 2020-02-01.