SUPPORT GROUPS
A growing part of the clients of My Sisters are HIV-positive, and for a ling time the nurse staff have wanted to do something special for this group. Special funds from the Swedish SIDA made it possible. Now, one of the nurses is educated in counselling both before and after a client is HIV-tested.
Moreover a support group has been started. This group meets regularly to cheer up each other, receive counselling and teaching. In spring 2007 when the group had their first gathering, they were 15 women. Now they are almost 50, split up in two groups.
On their own accord, they formed a union, where each of them pays a small amount when they meet up. The money will be spent for soap, milk or food when one of them needs it. In that way the HIV-positive women are each other's network and caretakers, and that is an important factor in the everyday life, where HIV is still in many cases stigmatizing.
Most of the HIV-positive have never spoken to others than the nurse about their positive HIV-status, before coming in the support group.