During the period of this silence on the epidemic, many African countries lost the young productive population to what was only described as ‘long illnesses’.

While then the reality on the ground was that many young people were dying as a result of the epidemic, Malawi like many African governments also had a tight lid on the epidemic and some even went as far as blaming the west for the epidemic.

The epidemic was in other circles then dubbed as American Ideas to Destroy Sex (AIDS) and this coupled with the African superstations of witchcraft derailed the war on AIDS.

It then made sense to many Africans that Americans were worried with Africa’s population boom and they wanted to check it by putting the sex scare in the minds of Africans.

Making matters worse was the belief in many African traditions that encouraged young girls that have reached puberty to engage into sex if they had to keep beautiful.

To many African communities HIV and AIDS was regarded as witchcraft and it was at the time rare to find a group of young people openly declaring that they had tested positive to HIV yet alone organize HIV patient meetings.

However the availability of Anti Retroviral Treatment in the early 2000’s saw a number of Africans starting to open up on HIV and many patients started disclosing their status.

Names like Isaac Jambo in Malawi made national headlines for openly declaring that they were living with the AIDS causing virus.

For the first time Malawi saw the immergence of People Living with HIV (PLHIV) groups, however none of the groups became innovative as the Neno Community Support Initiative for PLHIV that has went a step ahead in the promotion of the rights of PLHIV through patient meetings where patients are able to interact in a party mood.

A recent Africanews visit to one HIV patient meetings at Zalewa in Neno southern Malawi demonstrated that the party meetings act as a forum where People living with HIV to encourage each other socially and morally.

Assistant District AIDS coordinator for Neno Judith Kahunde said in an interview while the gatherings are called parties she believed they were important as they were forums where the positives draw each other’s strength morally and psychologically.

“These patient meetings offer the patients an opportunity to realize that they are not the only ones affected by the problem and the other people that attend but have not gone for a test are encouraged to access HIV Testing and Counselling,” she said.

Chair Person for Neno Community Support Initiative Davison Chamanza said the parties have seen a number of people accessing HIV services and most of those that have tested positive have been attending the patient meetings.

“The idea of these meetings are to strengthen people that are positively living with HIV so that they realize that testing positive to HIV is not the end of life,” he said.

Concurring with Chamanza was Gertrude Daluni who said that the get-togethers have witnessed an increase in the uptake of HIV services in Neno district.

“We do not only invite people that are positively living with HIV, we also invite those that have not gone for a test so that they are encouraged by the testimonies shared by the patients that are positively living with HIV,” she said.

When Africanews visited a recent Patients party at Zalewa, the patients were found dancing to the latest Malawian dance tunes which according to Daluni was one form of physical excise to the PLHIV.

“You can see that these patients are dancing and this is in one way a physical activity and in the other way a mental activity as with the excitement the patients forget their worries,” she said.

Joyce Sakwata a Community Based Health worker at Zalewa said through this initiative she has managed to reach out to many patients and she currently supports 27 patients.

“I have some patients that were living in HIV denial, but started to accept the reality of infection when they attended the party,” she said.

She said the parties offer the patients an opportunity to interact with their fellow patients and they in the process share information on HIV positive living.

Samson Njolomole External Relations Manager at Partners in Health (PIH) the American international health organisation that has been financing the activities said that it was encouraging to see many people in Neno starting to accept the reality of HIV after being reached out by the meetings.

“When PIH started its operations in Neno there was still a mood of denial to the epidemic, however we have seen that the number that have gone for HIV services is increasing,” he said.

He said his organisation believes that the HIV treatment plan should also include social mental support and the meetings were one component of the social programmes.

He said the patients at the meetings discuss many issues to do with HIV positive living and they also identify patients in need of support through the meetings.

He said PIH also assists needy patients with cash support so that they can access nutritious food and the parties offer an opportunity to identify the patients.