inyambo stars – HIV stigmafighter

Engage to end HIV stigma

26 December 2025hivstigmafighter

My lovely people, how are you? Do you miss me as much as I miss you?

We are at the end of the year, and what a year it has been! Compared to last year, we have accomplished so much. Around this time in 2024, I was not well as I had an unplanned surgery and ended the year in pain, in the hospital. Thank God, this year has been very productive.

I have collaborated with different organizations in Europe, and in Burundi I proudly celebrated World AIDS Day with my Gihanga community during the 6th edition of the Gihanga Talent Show. The winners of the sketch competition came from a small town called Cabiza, a place with a high concentration of people living with HIV and home to vulnerable groups such as sex workers and people who use drugs. Cabiza is also a diverse community with refugees from Congo, and people from Rwanda and Tanzania.

Together with Irene Kundubumwe from Inyambo Stars, we spent these last days of the year with this community to engage on HIV and prevention. Irene, an experienced HIV educator, explained about HIV and AIDS, how infection might occur, how to prevent it and how to seek assistance when needed. People of all ages – youth, adults and the elderly – were attending the sessions organised.

There were many interesting questions, showing how much this information was needed and appreciated. Community members also shared challenges they face, such as alcohol abuse – many people admitted that when they drink heavily, they lose control and do not think about HIV risks during sex. Also, Janviere, an elderly woman, recalled receiving HIV education when she was young, including how to use female condoms. She requested access to female condoms again to protect women and girls.

Together, we addressed myths about HIV and condom use, and Irene took time to answer all questions. As for me, I spoke about healthy living, growing up positively, and fighting HIV stigma through talent. A healthy person can make a great contribution to their family and country. I highlighted how stigma causes pain and isolation for people living with HIV. But if we work together and support each other, stigma will melt away. People will no longer fear HIV testing, they will start treatment, and they will live healthy, productive lives.

As Nelson Mandela once said: “Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world.” We still dream of a world free of HIV stigma. To achieve this, we must educate everyone in our communities without leaving a single soul behind.

Cabiza TV Group made a great contribution through theatre and comedy before and after the program. I am proud they are part of our Inyambo Stars club culture. If anyone needs peer educators who use their talents through theatre and comedy, they are amazing entertainers – get in touch with them!

We would like to thank the Cabiza Chef de Colline (community administrative representative) for supporting this activity and the Cabiza community for responding positively to our program.

Stigma will end if we all work together. HIV and AIDS will end if stigma is destroyed.

Let’s kick HIV stigma out as we enter 2026!

Peace,

Eliane

Equalize!

6 December 20228 March 2025hivstigmafighter

My lovely people, a lot of good things have happened these past days in Gihanga!

To celebrate World Aids Day 2022, Inyambo Stars together with RBP+ (an association of People living with HIV) organized the “Stop HIV stigma show” in the commune of Gihanga on the 3^rd of December. I was very privileged to support them to organise this show for the third time.

During the opening speech I pointed out that it is very sad to see people still dying because of AIDS in 2022. And how shocking it is to hear children are still born with HIV, or of people who stop their medication because they heard they are Undetectable. This shows the need for all these talents to keep up their support to empower communities in Gihanga, Bubanza and all of Burundi on key health messages around HIV and AIDS.

The show was all about using our community’s talents to empower people living with or affected by HIV and AIDS to learn about and build their capacity to fight HIV & AIDS and address HIV stigma. Combining various talents and arts forms is a great way to bring HIV education, and I am glad the Inyambo Stars share this passion with me. Share our talent and break HIV stigma!

So, we brought together different talents: The fashionistas of Inyambo stars, the Indigenous Batwa Cultural group Ubumwe from Gahwazi, musical youth of Inyambo Voices, the supertalented artist Didy Love, and many more. Together we created a fantastic day for the community of Gihanga to remember. In all the performances key messages around HIV/AIDS came back like “fight HIV and AIDS but don’t stigmatize people living with HIV”, “Do HIV testing” and “Take medication every day”.

Here is an impression of the day:

Opening the show through traditional Burundian dance by the Batwa Cultural group Ubumwe

The fashionistas from club Inyambo Stars want to contribute to empowering young people to change the narrative on HIV and AIDS by normalizing the disease. Their wish is to organise more campaigns using fashion as an arts form to bring health messages beyond Gihanga, across Burundi.

Gihanga music artist Didy Love, proud member of Inyambo stars, did an energetic performance while also sharing key HIV messages

Inyambo voices shared their recently released song on fighting HIV stigma

Our common goal as artists was to make sure that as many as possible young people would be able to engage with us on this day. I believe that can one day they can become our hivstigmafighters, that they will be listened to by other youth and will help to build a new generation that is open minded and better informed about HIV and AIDS. This is a how we equalize the system.

I would like to thank the Administrator of Gihanga commune who gave us the permission for this great day and sent his first adviser to join us on. It is great to see them engage in our community and see what Inyambo Stars and other talents are able to show and give back to their community. I was also pleased by the presence of RBP+ and how they appreciated the support given by the Youth in Gihanga. Finally thanks to the DJs MC Chadou and MC Jerome, and Zoe Brand designers. Together we showed that one day we will win this battle!

So this was the third “Stop HIV stigma show” in Gihanga community and I hope there are more to come. I am really excited to continue my support to Inyambo Stars and others to organise their next event. If you want to support them please do, they will be very grateful to continue developing and sharing their talents to break HIV stigma!

Together we can!

Peace,

Eliane.

Inyambo STARS on WAD2021

8 December 20218 March 2025hivstigmafighter

On Saturday 4 December 2021, I helped Inyambo STARS to organise a local event to celebrate World AIDS Day. This was a day to show their community why they are true talents, showing their fashion skills AND committed to helping their community, especially supporting vulnerable people living with HIV in Gihanga, Burundi.

Inyambo STARS, RBP+ ( Reseau Burundais des Personnes vivant avec le VIH) with indonongo.org support, organised a total of three activities. And as large gatherings were not allowed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, they really had to show their improvisation skills this time around!

The day started with a great Burundian tradition called Ibikorwa Rusangi, community work. All over the country, every Saturday morning from 8h00 the people of Burundi contribute collectively to keeping our community healthy and promoting good cross-cultural relations. They were joined by their parents, local representatives, shopkeepers and other community members.

Really, there is no way Inyambo STARS can perform their arts without maintaining good relations and giving back to their community. I know this gave them a lot of inspiration to stay connected and work together as one. What a great opportunity to connect the community of Gihanga to fighting HIV stigma in our country.

After Ibikorwa Rusangi, Inyambo STARS, a selection of people living with HIV and partners, marched together through Gihanga in solidarity with people living with HIV and to raise awareness on this year’s World AIDS Day theme: “End AIDS, end inequalities , end pandemics”. Did you know that in Gihanga there are 246 people living with HIV, 84 men and 162 women? Of them 29 are younger than 29 years, of which 8 boys and 21 girls.

Yes, normally Inyambo STARS would now have done a fashion show or catwalk, but I do believe this March together with people living with HIV did really help them to unify with the HIV community.

They closed the day by expressing solidarity and support to vulnerable people living with HIV. The cordinator of RBP+ reinforced the message to the community of the importance of staying on medication and going to the health centre for regular check-ups. She also called upon pregnant women to do a HIV test so they can detect any new HIV cases to prevent neonatal HIV.

Helping Inyanmbo STARS and their partners to support people living with HIV in Gihanga during World AIDS Day, inspires me a lot and gives me so much positive energy to continue making impact in my community of Gihanga and possibly in the whole of Burundi.

Peace, Eliane