PROGRAMS AND EVENTS

U.S. Doctoral Student Shares Research Findings on HIV/AIDS and Marriage at a Seminar in Abuja

Date: Friday, July 18, 2008
Venue: Abuja

Kathryn Rhine | Full size

The Public Affairs Section of the U.S. Mission sponsored a seminar led by Brown University doctoral candidate Kathryn Rhine. Hosted by the National Agency for the Control of AIDS (NACA), Ms. Rhine, a U.S. Fulbright-Hayes recipient, captured the interest of a broad array of participants interested in her studies of HIV/AIDS in northern Nigeria.  Ms. Rhine talked about relationships and marriage and the spread of HIV/AIDS in the two northern cities of Kano and Jos.

Ms. Rhine opined that the best path for HIV positive people to take is join a network of positively living people. This way, if they are searching for a spouse, the network may help eliminate the worry of whether or not the loved one is positive or negative. Ms. Rhine’s research suggests that match-making is an effective way to help women who are positive find  compatible mates. Acknowledging that HIV positive women frequently have a difficult time disclosing their status, Ms. Rhine said they often lack  confidantes to help them grapple with their problems. She spent years working with HIV positive women in order to find the best ways to help them deal with serious life challenges. Ms. Rhine told the audience, however, that she remains hopeful that networking programs will continue to help HIV positive women in the years to come.

A robust question and answer session followed the presentation. The seminar proved useful in raising not only awareness about the HIV/AIDS crisis, but also in identifying ways for Nigerians to address the challenges caused by the pandemic.