National Association of people living with HIV/AIDS-Gauteng

About NAPWA Gauteng

The National Association of People Living with HIV and AIDS (NAPWA) is a national, non-partisan, non-governmental, non-profit membership-based organisation committed to the rights, dignity, and inclusion of people living with HIV across South Africa. NAPWA is organised across all nine provinces, with the Gauteng chapter based at 12 Esselen Street, Hillbrow, Johannesburg — in the heart of the inner city, close to the Hillbrow HIV health care cluster including the Hillbrow Health Centre and Helen Joseph Hospital.

Relevance to GBV Directory

NAPWA's work is HIV-specific rather than GBV-specific. However, the two issues are deeply interconnected in South Africa:

• Sexual violence is a primary HIV transmission route. Rape survivors have a significant risk of HIV acquisition, making PEP (Post-Exposure Prophylaxis) time-critical, and ongoing HIV monitoring is an essential part of post-rape care.
• HIV-positive women face elevated GBV risk. HIV status is used by perpetrators as a basis for stigma, control, and abuse. Women who disclose HIV status to partners face elevated risk of intimate partner violence.
• Economic dependency and HIV. Women who are ill or on treatment may be economically dependent on partners, increasing vulnerability to remaining in abusive situations.

For GBV survivors who are HIV-positive or who have recently been sexually assaulted and need HIV-related support, NAPWA's Gauteng chapter offers counselling, empowerment, training, and peer support connections.

Services

• Counselling and support for people living with HIV.
• Empowerment and training — building knowledge of rights, treatment access, and community support.
• Peer support networks — connecting HIV-positive individuals to others with lived experience.
• Advocacy — representing the interests of PLHIV in health policy and social development.