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Heroes of HIV - a series of IRIN short films

IRIN Films is pleased to announce the launch of “Heroes of HIV” - a powerful and moving series of short films on HIV/AIDS.

“Heroes of HIV” profiles people involved in the fight against HIV/AIDS. Their stories are sometimes sad, sometimes uplifting, always inspiring.

Elizabeth Ngugi is a university professor and former nurse who has dedicated the last twenty years of her life to help girls and women trapped in Kenya's sex trade. Since 1989 she has helped more than 600 sex workers retrain and find alternative incomes.

Kevin Dowling is a South African Catholic Bishop, who has worked for years with the poor of Rustenburg, northern South Africa. But the shockingly high rates of HIV infection in these communities persuaded him that, against Catholic Church doctrine, condoms should be promoted as the only effective means of halting the spread of the virus.

Phindile Madonsela was raped at 16 and infected with HIV a few years later. Now she tours the schools of her native Soweto, in Gauteng Province, South Africa, empowering, motivating and educating children about the perils of HIV.

Anuradha Koirala has been fighting the trafficking of Nepali girls to Indian brothels since she became aware of the trade in the late 1980s. With NGOs based in India, she tries to rescue and return these girls, but as many as 70 percent of them are infected with HIV.

Rolake Odetoyinbo tested positive for HIV in 1998 and has been an activist ever since. Tapping into the enormous reach and appeal of Nigeria’s television networks, she hosts a TV show designed to address and discuss the challenges facing people living with HIV in Nigeria.

The Motivator

Raped at age 16, Phindile Madonsela uses her story to educate children about HIV.

The Activist

Anuradha Koirala fights sex trafficking between Nepal and India.


The Catholic Bishop

A Catholic Bishop promotes condoms to fight HIV/AIDS

The Professor

University professor Elizabeth Ngugi has helped free hundreds of women from the sex trade

The TV Presenter

Nigerian television presenter Rolake Odetoyinbo uses her position to raise awareness about HIV/AIDS


This article was produced by IRIN News while it was part of the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. Please send queries on copyright or liability to the UN. For more information: https://shop.un.org/rights-permissions

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