In Rwanda, great progress has been made in the fight against HIV. Today, 97% of adults living with HIV take free antiretroviral treatment (ARVs), and 98% of them have a suppressed viral load meaning the virus is so low it cannot be transmitted sexually. Babies born to mothers with HIV now reach age two HIV-free at a rate of 99%. These achievements place Rwanda among the top performers globally.
Yet behind these successes there is another battle Rwanda has not yet fully won: stigma.
Stigma is silent, but its effects are loud young people dropping out of school, adults hiding their medicine, neighbors whispering, and some delaying treatment out of fear. In homes, classrooms, and workplaces, stigma continues to push people into hiding and away from care.
This story follows the voices of those living through HIV stigma, the peer educators fighting it, and the data that shows why this issue can no longer be ignored.
1. Claudine: “People refused to believe I was HIV-negative.”
When Dushimirerwe Claudine, from Bushara Cell in Nyagatare District, learned her husband had HIV, her world changed.
“At first, I could not accept it. He had gone away, and when he returned, he had the virus. I begged him for us to go for testing, but he refused. Later he agreed, and they found he was positive, but I was negative. I did not know how we could live together.” she says
Claudine says leaving the clinic; she felt fear, confusion, and shame.
“I felt like our marriage was finished. I kept thinking, ‘How can we continue living together? But health workers explained that if my husband took his medicine every day, and if I continued testing regularly, we could live safely as a normal family and we followed that advice.Today, we have lived together for 15 years, and I remain HIV-free, Our two children now 14 and 11 years old were born HIV-negative.”
But Claudine says the hardest part was not the virus. It was people.
“When we came back from testing, our neighbors started talking. They said, ‘How do you even sleep in the same bed now?’ We told them we sleep like before, but they didn’t believe us.”
People in her community insisted she was hiding her status.
“They asked, ‘What kind of blood do you have? How come you don’t get the virus?’ Some said, ‘You must be lying you are also sick.”
Claudine says she had to educate them.
“I told them: ‘Please stop giving us stigma. We are not the first to have HIV, and not the last. Anybody can get it. And if my husband takes his medicine well, he cannot infect me.’”
Over time, the community changed.
“When I showed them that our children were also healthy, they started to calm down. I became stronger and told them, ‘My husband should not receive stigma. If I ever get infected, it will be from him, and that is our life not yours.’”
Today, she says the stigma has reduced, but she will never forget how hurtful words can be.
2. Rosine: “I hid my medicine under the bed.”
Musengimana Abayezu Rosine, a peer educator at Murambi Health Centre, remembers the day she learned she was HIV-positive. She says accepting her status was very difficult.
“At first, I used to hide my antiretroviral drugs under my bed instead of taking them, I was afraid, I felt ashamed. I feared people would think badly about Me.” she says
Rosine stopped taking her medicine many times. But things changed when she started regular counselling.
“Health workers helped me a lot. My parents and friends also supported me. Slowly, I learned to accept myself. I am not ashamed anymore.”
Today, she leads a group of young people living with HIV. They meet every month.
“We talk freely because we are the same age. They see me as someone happy and open. I advise them to live carefully, to protect themselves, and not to fear their status.”
Some young people still struggle.
“Some youth have not accepted their status. They feel shy around others, or people assume their parents also have HIV. Those who accept it can speak openly. Those who do not feel hopeless. We help them understand that they can live a full life.”
She adds: “We show them where we started and where we are now. We tell them: ‘You are not alone.”
3. Ernestine: “I travelled far so people would not see me collecting medicine.”
Uwimbabazi Ernestine lives in Murambi Sector, Mugambazi Cell, Nyarurembo Village. When she first started taking ARVs, she travelled all the way to Muhima Health Centre in Kigali.
Why?
“I was afraid, I felt ashamed and embarrassed. I thought if someone saw me taking medicine, they would say, ‘Look at her, she has that disease.’ So I went far, where nobody knew Me. But everything changed when I become pregnant. Health workers told me that I needed follow-up at a closer clinic, I feared being recognized, but I had no choice, I was transferred to Murambi Health Centre. They received me well, They checked my baby and said everything was okay. That’s when I started accepting myself.”
Ernestine says she now lives a full, healthy life.
“Today I take my medicine well, and I see that our lives are not different from others. Sometimes I even feel like we live better than people who do not have HIV because we take better care of our health. But there are some take medicine but later throw it away or spoil it. I tell them, ‘Look at me, I take mine correctly. If you do the same, you will live a long life maybe longer than me.’”
4. Eugene: “I once weighed 37 kilos. Today I weigh 65.”
In Rulindo District, Ndinda Eugene remembers the day he tested positive in 2012.
“My immune cells were only 57. I started taking medicine, but I did not follow instructions. Doctors told me to use condoms with my wife, but I did not understand why.”
At first, his health improved. Then it got worse. His immune level dropped again.
“They changed my treatment to second-line medicine. I realized I had to follow the doctor’s advice.”
He did and slowly recovered.
“I once weighed only 37 kilograms. Today I weigh 65. I work like any other healthy person.”
He uses his story to teach others.
“Taking medicine correctly increases your hope and quality of life. Infection can happen to anyone. What matters is following advice.”
But stigma still affects him.
“Some people point and say, ‘He is the one taking ARVs.’ Others whisper when they see me go to the clinic. But I accepted myself. What matters is staying alive. When you die, the same people talking nonsense will not come to save you.”
The Numbers Behind the Stories: Why Stigma Still Matters
According to a special 2025 analysis by the Rwanda Network of People Living with HIV (RRP+), collected from 504 health facilities:
- 3,013 adolescents and young people (AYPLHIV) are currently being followed.
- 28% dropped out of school in the past two years.
- Main reasons: stigma, fear of disclosure, lack of privacy for medication, and mental-health challenges.
Districts with the highest numbers include Gasabo, Kamonyi, Rubavu, and Kicukiro.
While Rwanda’s overall HIV prevalence among people aged 15-49 stands at around 3%, new infections estimated at 3,200 per year remain a concern. Youth aged 15-29 are at the highest risk. In Eastern Province, 1.7% of adolescent girls tested HIV-positive, and 27% were found with other STIs.
Leaders Speak Out: “Stigma is the Real Enemy”
Dr. Deo Mutambuka Executive Director of RRP+ addressed youth directly: “We ask you the youth to learn to say no and avoid pressure, If you choose to have sex, protect yourself. But if you ever face HIV, take the medicine as instructed. Hiding or refusing treatment is what kills not the virus itself.” he said
He also urged young men to consider circumcision, which reduces male HIV risk.
Health expert Michael Gasana From RBC,emphasized:
“People living with HIV are like anyone else. You cannot get HIV from hugging, sharing food, sharing clothes, toilet seats, or shaking hands. It spreads mainly through unprotected sex or blood exposure. Stigma harms both prevention and treatment.”
Both experts agree: ending stigma is as important as providing treatment.
By Hadjara Nshimiyimana. || TCN || The Comments News
