Abstract

This paper briefly reflects the fact that People living with HIV/AIDS (PLHIV) can be potential resources for HIV-related stigma reduction, the paper shares the experience of Sudanese People living With HIV/AIDS Care Association (SPCA) on reducing self-sigma among the PLHIV themselves and on the other hand reducing the stigma among health service providers and the general population. In the near past, Stigma was the major challenge constraining HIV intervention efforts in Sudan where the social context is one of the generating factor for the stigma and discrimination, the type of stigma in Sudan was the most furious one which influence PLHIV and their families, it was a complex model of stigma that deny PLHIV to even access care and treatment. The efforts made to empower PLHIV were a breakthrough towards better PLHIV-friendly environment free of stigma and discrimination. This paper focuses on the impact of the PLHIV efforts in the stigma reduction, which has contributed to put PLHIV and AIDS issues in the primary agenda of the government commitment and helped to advocate for supporting the overall intervention of AIDS in the country. The paper also shows how far the role of other sectors contributed to empower PLHIV and helped the national AIDS Programme to apply mature strategies on stigma reduction and comprehensive programming for HIV response.