The HIV Podcast

This week, Sarah and Jess head to South Africa for the next episode in our year-long African Voices series. While headlines often focus on funding cuts and system pressures, this episode centres the power of peer support through the Coach Mpilo model, a community-led approach helping men access testing, start treatment, and stay in care. It’s a story of trust, connection, and what happens when support comes from people who truly understand the journey.A huge thank you to everyone involved in Coach Mpilo who helped us put this episode together!SourcesSouth Africa - WikipediaHIV/AIDS in South Africa - Wikipedia

This week, Sarah and Jess glide into the story of John Curry, serving Olympic gold, high drama, and world-class artistry! But behind the perfect routines was a life shaped by being openly gay in a very different era, and later, living with HIV. So get your skates on and tune in!SourcesJohn Curry - WikipediaBBC ON THIS DAY | 11 | 1976: John Curry skates to Olympic gold

This week Sarah and Jess remember Michael Sundin, dancer, performer, and familiar face from Blue Peter! Behind the bright TV appearances was a talented creative whose life was tragically cut short. We take a look at his career and we what happened post-Blue Peter. SourcesBlue Peter - WikipediaMichael Sundin - Wikipedia(3) https://instagram.com/p/B0QfpIMpN1Q/ 🇬🇧... - The AIDS Memorial | Facebook

In this episode of our year-long African Voices series, we turn our attention to Tanzania. While global conversations about HIV often centre funding pressures and programme sustainability, this episode focuses on the realities experienced by people and communities living with HIV and a fantastic project breaking down barriers to HIV testing.Navigating ART Interruptions: Navigating ART Interruptions - The HIV Podcast | AcastSourceshttps://www.cdc.gov/global-hiv-tb/php/success-stories/hiv-results-in-tanzania.htmlOn the Brink of Catastrophe: U.S. Foreign Aid Disruption to HIV Services in Tanzania and Uganda - PHRUnited Republic of Tanzania | UNAIDSPrevalence of HIV, total (% of population ages 15-49) - Tanzania | DataRelease of Tanzania Population-based HIV Impact Assessment Data Shows Notable Progress, and Identifies Gaps that Stand in the Way of Epidemic Control - PHIA Projecthttps://hivpreventioncoalition.unaids.org/en/resources/tanzania-national-guidelines-management-hiv-and-aids-7th-editionhttps://sustainability.unaids.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/Tanzania_SMR_A-.pdfhttps://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC5602645/https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/LGBTQ_rights_in_TanzaniaAfrican Voices is a year-long series from The HIV Podcast, sharing perspectives from across the African continent.How to get involved:We’re inviting people living with or affected by HIV to share short voice notes about what’s happening in their country, what the world needs to understand, and what education they want to share. These voice notes may be played on the podcast as part of the series.Episodes will be released monthly, on the last Friday of each monthVoice notes may be played on the podcastSend a voice note (max 5 minutes, no minimum) to: 07727 666791Each country has a submission deadline, see image for detailsIf you’re from one of the 12 countries featured, we’d love to hear from you.How to take partPlease send us a voice note (maximum 5 minutes, no minimum) to:07727 666791In your recording, please include:• Your name (or a preferred name if you would like to remain anonymous)• Your connection to HIV (for example: person living with HIV, peer educator, counsellor, activist, doctor, community worker, volunteer)• The country you are inThen tell us:What do you want the world to know about HIV in your country?This could include access to care, stigma, funding cuts, community realities, or anything you feel the world should understand.What education would you like to share?A myth to bust, a message for others, or knowledge that could help support your community.For more information, please contact:office@tvps.org.ukDeadlines for submissions by country 2026March 19th - South AfricaApril 17th - KenyaMay 22nd - UgandaJune 19th - MozambiqueJuly 24th - MalawiAugust 21st - ZambiaSeptember 18th - ZimbabweOctober 23rd - BotswanaNovember 20th - Lesotho & Eswatini

Hello, Clarice.The link you never thought possible…This week Sarah and Jess look at how The Silence of the Lambs influenced director Jonathan Demme's next creative choice and how that creative shift connects, unexpectedly, to HIV storytelling.SourcesThe Silence Of The Lambs Controversy ExplainedPhiladelphia: un-packaging the Hollywood Aids drama | Sight and SoundThe Silence of the Lambs (film) - WikipediaPhiladelphia (film) - Wikipedia

This week Sarah and Jess are celebrating The HIV Podcast’s 200th episode! Two hundred episodes of HIV chat, chaos, and the occasional overshare, and we’re marking this milestone with the story of the incredible Gao Yaojie. The Chinese doctor and activist who refused to stay quiet as an HIV crisis unfolded around her. We explore how one woman’s refusal to be silent helped bring global attention to a hidden epidemic.Sources Gao Yaojie - Wikipedia

This week Sarah and Jess head to China to explore the complex, often hidden story of HIV. Along the way, we unpack the devastating bloodhead scandal of the 1990s, when unsafe blood-selling schemes led to entire rural communities becoming infected. SourcesHIVHIV/AIDS in China - WikipediaUNAIDS and China sign two strategic agreements to advance the HIV response | UNAIDS

HIV… The Wizard of Oz… The Sound of Music… Ghost.......Stick with us!This week Sarah and Jess continue their quest to show that HIV is connected to everything, even the places you’d least expect. If you’ve ever felt there are no connections to HIV in your life, this episode is an invitation to see some of the links hiding in plain sight, through films, culture, and a bit of classic HIV Podcast curiosity!SourcesRuby Slippers Wizard of Oz - History, Pairs & Ownership | MuseumKent Warner - Wikipedia10 facts you might not know about Ghost starring Patrick Swayze and Demi Moore - SmoothRick Aviles - Wikipedia

In this opening episode of our year long African Voices series, we look at Nigeria, beyond the funding cuts that so often dominate global headlines. While international reporting focuses on donor decisions and political shifts, this conversation centres what’s happening on the ground, the people, the initiatives, and the communities continuing to respond to HIV with creativity, care, and determination.Through lived experience of both a beneficiary and health care worker, we explore both the challenges being faced and the progress being made, highlighting what’s working, what’s changing, and what deserves far more attention than it usually gets.A huge thank you to Project HOPE for helping connect us, so these stories can be shared authentically, directly from the people living and working within them.Project HOPE | Advancing Global Health & Saving LivesAfrican Voices is a year-long series from The HIV Podcast, sharing perspectives from across the African continent.How to get involved:We’re inviting people living with or affected by HIV to share short voice notes about what’s happening in their country, what the world needs to understand, and what education they want to share. These voice notes may be played on the podcast as part of the series.Episodes will be released monthly, on the last Friday of each monthVoice notes may be played on the podcastSend a voice note (max 5 minutes, no minimum) to: 07727 666791Each country has a submission deadline, see image for detailsIf you’re from one of the 12 countries featured, we’d love to hear from you.How to take partPlease send us a voice note (maximum 5 minutes, no minimum) to:07727 666791In your recording, please include:• Your name (or a preferred name if you would like to remain anonymous)• Your connection to HIV (for example: person living with HIV, peer educator, counsellor, activist, doctor, community worker, volunteer)• The country you are inThen tell us:What do you want the world to know about HIV in your country?This could include access to care, stigma, funding cuts, community realities, or anything you feel the world should understand.What education would you like to share?A myth to bust, a message for others, or knowledge that could help support your community.For more information, please contact:office@tvps.org.ukDeadlines for submissions by country 2026January 22nd - NigeriaFebruary 19th- TanzaniaMarch 19th - South AfricaApril 17th - KenyaMay 22nd - UgandaJune 19th - MozambiqueJuly 24th - MalawiAugust 21st - ZambiaSeptember 18th - ZimbabweOctober 23rd - BotswanaNovember 20th - Lesotho & EswatiniSources https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/nigeria/ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nigeria https://www.beintheknow.org/understanding-hiv-epidemic/data/glance-hiv-nigeria https://www.phis3project.org.ng/phis3-resources/ https://www.severemalaria.org/countries/nigeria/nigeria-health-systemhttps://nphcda.gov.ng/bhcpf/ https://naca.gov.ng/ https://data.theglobalfund.org/location/NGA/access-to-funding https://nepwhan.org/our-history/ https://www.theglobalfund.org/en/updates/2024/2024-02-05-nigeria-global-fund-launch-new-grants-reinforce-progress-against-hiv-tb-malaria/ https://naca.gov.ng/sustainability/