Giving Compass' Take:

• Professor Linda-Gail Bekker is receiving the 2018 Desmond Tutu Award for HIV Prevention Research and Human Rights award for her work fighting HIV in South Africa.  

• How is her work important on a global scale? What parts of her model of care can other countries replicate? 

• Read about the challenges and successes of fighting AIDS in Kenya from a Doctors Without Borders employee. 

Professor Linda-Gail Bekker has dedicated her life to curbing HIV infection rates in impoverished communities across South Africa — and now, she’s been recognised as a human rights champion.

Bekker, a professor of medicine at the University of Cape Town, has been awarded the 2018 Desmond Tutu Award for HIV Prevention Research and Human Rights.

The award — named in honour of archbishop Desmond Tutu, a key global advocate for HIV prevention — is presented just once every two years, and goes to a person or organisation who works to prevent HIV and for the human rights of people impacted by it.

In her work, Bekker specifically focuses her efforts in supporting more vulnerable populations, including pregnant women, adolescents, and populations that are more difficult to reach and engage, according to the University of Cape Town (UCT).

“Professor Bekker embodies a physician-scientist who uses their expertise to better the lives of others. Her work is not only relevant to South Africa, but globally,” said the university.

Bekker works through the Desmond Tutu HIV Foundation, based at UCT. Since it was launched by Bekker and her colleague Professor Robin Wood in 2004, the foundation has been supporting HIV/AIDS medical students and researchers, while also helping save the lives of people living in some of the country’s most impoverished communities.

Like much of South Africa — which has an estimated HIV prevalence rate of 12.6% — the Western cape also faces significant challenges in dealing with the disease, especially among young people.

The emphasis of the programme is to create a fleet of mobile testing facilities, where people can find out more about their health as well as getting educated, even if their community is difficult to reach.

Read the full article about activist addressing HIV in the western cape by Thato Mahlangu at Global Citizen