In an afternoon, five people sat in the living room of a house in Kakuluk Mesak, one of the sub-districts in Belu Regency. They were telling stories and sharing experiences about daily activities, including how the community accepts their existence as People Living with HIV (PLHIV). There seemed to be an atmosphere of togetherness and kinship between them that was shown by occasional jokes and laughter in the gathering. They are several members of the Kakuluk Mesak Peer Support Group which was formed in June 2020.

The home visit is one of the new activities they do for the other 29 members. This activity aimed to know each other, seek their health conditions and ARV adherence, share their experience, share experiences, and find out the struggles experienced and the solutions together. They also built a commitment to approach and invite PLHIV in the Kakuluk Mesak sub-district to join the peer support group.

Visiting the Peer Support Group members’ homes is one of the routine activities organised by Kakuluk Mesak Peer Support Group so that all members get to know each other. Before the Peer Support Group was formed, PLHIV in the border area of Timor Leste did not know each other and were still living their own lives. There was no group gathering, let alone caring for each other. It was only after the PLHIV gathering held by CD Bethesda YAKKUM Belu area on 19 June 2020, followed by eight PLHIV who agreed to form a Peer Support Group. They coordinated with the Public Health Centre Atapupu and Ainiba to invite other PLHIV to join and hold productive activities jointly designed between the Peer Support Group and the Public Health Centre. Now, at least 29 active people in the Peer Support Group spread across five villages in the Kakuluk Mesak sub-district.

Since its formation until nowadays, activities carried out include Peer Support Group meetings, compiling vision and mission, forming Peer Support Group management structures and designing activity programmes. Kakuluk Mesak Peer Support Group also participated in Peer Support Group meetings at the Belu Regency level to build confidence and counselling services facilitated by resource persons from Regional Public Hospital Mgr. Gabriel Manek Atambua, public health centre, Psychologists from the Psychology Department of Nusa Cedana University and Yogyakarta Peer Support Group. In addition, Kakuluk Mesak KDS members participated in various activities carried out by CD Bethesda YAKKUM, such as HIV and AIDS education for HIV-Positive housewives and entrepreneurs, coaching and mentoring related to ARV adherence, anti-stigma and discrimination, self-acceptance training, increasing Peer Support Group capacity in policy advocacy, building organisations and networks and increasing Peer Support Group skills through the use of yards for organic farming, disinfectant, hand sanitiser and soap training, traditional medicine training, acupressure training, and processing-local-food training.

The participation of Kakuluk Mesak Peer Support Group members in various activities at the village, sub-district and district levels has made them more confident because they have sufficient knowledge and skills related to their status as PLHIV and in the health sector in general. They can accept themselves as PLHIV, brave and ready to open up. Also, they can invite other PLHIVs to join the Peer Support Group. The HIV and AIDS Programme Manager at the public health office often invites the Kakuluk Mesak Peer Support Group to visit the new PLHIV in the public health office area. Kakuluk Mesak Peer Support Group continues to advocate for the government and socialise the elimination of stigma and discrimination against PLHIV to the community in the village.

The members hope, that making these visits can help Peer Support Group members get out of their downturn and stigma so that they can be creative, independent and empowered. *(Almada Lasi)