Peer support and learning weekend for people living with HIV
As every year, the Muungano group and Sensoa positieve got together for a weekend of meeting and sharing in Blankenberge from 29/9 to 01/10/23.
Coordinated by two professionals from HIV SAM, a total of 22 members of the Muungano group attended the event. The group was made up of a mixed public of different ages and sexes, represented by two language groups (18 French speakers and 4 English speakers), two couples and a family with two children. The majority were women (14, n=22).
The program included a time of sharing, meals, a walk on the beach, two themed sessions (Undetectable=Un-transmissible and Sex and HIV), and an evening dance.
The weekend’s various activities enabled new and old group members to share and exchange ideas on the theme of sexuality. According to the participants, the entire program held their attention, including the themed sessions, which were conducive to freeing the word on sexual life as a person living with HIV through moving and touching testimonials.
The weekend was also an opportunity for a couple who met on Muungano group outings to celebrate their 8-year wedding anniversary.
The meeting ended with the members drawing up a program proposal for the year 2024, with a view to perpetuating the spirit of this project, which arouses so much enthusiasm and happiness among its participants. As De Louis Bourdaloue says, “It is a great thing to be faithful in small things; it is through small things that great things are maintained”. The “big thing” for us in this adventure is the mental health of our participants. The HIV SAM team also presented the plan to merge with Sensoa, which will come into effect next year. This merger will have no impact on the continuity of the current mode of operation familiar to Muungano members.
The participants expressed their wish to repeat this weekend meeting, as they were satisfied with the various exchanges, new encounters and sharing in a respectful and convivial atmosphere.