Women Making a Difference
Putting Health First
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A commercial sex worker, Yeshi has learned to put her health first.
Source: USAID’s Targeted HIV/AIDS Prevention Program, Population Services International/Ethiopia, and Integrated Service for AIDS Prevention and Support Organization. |
Yeshi Sheferaw
When Yeshi Sheferaw, 25, came from Northern Ethiopia to Addis Ababa a year and half ago, her plan was to work as a house maid to make money and be able to support the family she left behind, but life in the capital city was completely different. There were no jobs as a housemaid; she had no income and no food. Yeshi ended up in the poorest, most violent and heavily congested slum area in Addis Ababa. To survive, she became a commercial sex worker, quickly realizing that she was just one of the hundreds of hopeful young women who arrived with the same plan, but ended up selling sex to support their lives.
Life as sex worker is tough; there’s always the danger of being beaten by gang members, criminals or even other competing sex workers. To maintain a steady income, Yeshi and many of the other sex workers sell alcoholic drinks, a practice that produces drunk and increasingly aggressive clients. As with most commercial sex workers in the area, Yeshi has to pay up to one-third of her earnings to her landlady. Yet, the biggest threat to Yeshi’s new life in Addis Ababa is HIV/AIDS and other sexually transmitted diseases. “Before, I never used condoms because I didn’t know much about them. I’ve seen people getting sick from HIV/AIDS, and I have seen people in pain and dying in front of me. I have bad memories,” she reflects. Yeshi’s life quickly became a daily struggle not only to earn a living, but also to survive and stay alive.
Promoting correct and consistent condom use among those involved in sex work is key to fighting HIV/AIDS transmission. The U.S. Agency for International Development’s (USAID’s) Targeted HIV/AIDS Prevention Program with funding from the U.S. President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) works with local government and nongovernmental organizations to promote consistent and correct use of condoms in areas of Ethiopia where HIV prevalence is highest.
“My life took a better turn when one day we were called to the local government precinct office to hear about HIV/AIDS, counseling and testing, as well as how to use condoms.”
USAID’s Targeted HIV/AIDS Prevention Program staff had organized the session with the local government officials who focused on Yeshi’s neighborhood where there are over 200 commercial sex workers.
“Now I see a better future of one day being able to leave this sex work,” said Yeshi. “I am committed to making a difference in my community and in my life.” Yeshi is now a peer educator in her neighborhood. She distributes condoms, facilitates conversations among fellow commercial sex workers and refers them to health centers for care or counseling.
| “I am grateful that now I know and use condoms. I know how to use them correctly and always. I understand the situation of those who live with the HIV; I also persuade my neighbors to treat them with dignity and respect..”
– Yeshi Sheferaw |
Most of Yeshi’s clients had no desire or knowledge to use condoms and even if some clients were willing, it wasn’t easy to get them.
“Nowadays, if a client won’t use condoms, I refuse to have sex. Even if he tells me he's clean, disease-free or even will pay more, I tell him it’s not about being clean, but about putting our health first. I am taught to use condoms, and that’s how I will do it. If not, then go to someone else.”
Story provided by USAID’s Targeted HIV/AIDS Prevention Program (THPP), Population Services International/Ethiopia,
and Integrated Service for AIDS Prevention and Support Organization (ISAPSO)
>>> Read more stories from the Women Making a Difference in Global Health Series |
