A non-profit healthcare organisation catering to communities in need, together with the gay dating app Grindr, is offering app users free at-home HIV self-testing kits.
IntraHealth Namibia says this is part of the Grindr for Equality programme aimed at addressing Namibia’s 11% HIV-AIDS prevalence.
Access to testing remains one of the biggest challenges in the fight against HIV-AIDS.
This programme has also been rolled out in Australia.
Grindr for Equality managing director Owen Ryan says the offer ensures lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, intersex and others (LGBTQI+) dating app users can access life-saving healthcare resources from their phones – no matter where they are in the country.
“By expanding our network of partners, we’re providing essential tools to help break down these barriers and support the global fight against HIV,” he said in a press statement on Monday.
IntraHealth Namibia said its aim is to provide underserved communities with HIV prevention services and essential links to HIV prevention, treatment, and care.
“Together, we can improve health outcomes for Namibians and establish a model for equitable healthcare access across Africa,” IntraHealth online outreach officer Helena Kataturua said.
Equal Namibia co-founder Omar van Reenen yesterday said this is the first time LGBTQI+ people and Grindr users in Africa are able to access free testing kits on the app.
The kits are delivered straight to users’ homes.
“Such initiatives show what’s possible when civil society fills the gap in equal access to healthcare our community often faces,” they said.
Van Reenen said LGBTQI+ people are often turned away, ridiculed or discriminated against when seeking healthcare services.
“We’ve partnered up with Grindr for Equality to ensure our community gets the care it deserves,” they said.
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