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Through a camera lens in Kisumu, Kenya, the work being done to help end the HIV epidemic becomes visible.
Over a period of two decades, Kenya has transformed the fight against HIV, but progress remains uneven. The HIV epidemic persists in some communities, especially among women and girls, shaped by environment, access and stigma.
That’s what brought Gilead teams to Kenya, in collaboration with National Geographic CreativeWorks. The goal was to look beyond the scale of the epidemic and the scientific breakthroughs helping end it and understand what it takes to build bridges so innovative medicines can meaningfully reach the people, systems and countries that need them most.
One of the most remarkable aspects of this story is the pace of progress. New HIV prevention options are moving from breakthrough to real-world availability faster than ever before. But that speed is only possible because of work that started long before any single medical and/or therapeutic milestone. Behind it is an “invisible marathon” – years of planning and partnership that helps make access possible, spanning health systems, government partners, NGOs, community organizations, volunteers and Gilead teams.
In Kenya, that work becomes visible in the places where trust is built. It’s found on beaches in the fishing areas of Kisumu, in clinics and community meetings, in conversations between advocates and young women, in outreach that happens beyond traditional health settings to help prevention reach people faster, more effectively and at a greater scale.
And it is found in people like Brenda Odera.
Brenda is a 27-year-old HIV prevention advocate based in Kisumu, where HIV has long been visible and deeply felt. Her work began six years ago with a personal decision to use pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) to protect her own health. PrEP is the routine use of prescription medicine, such as daily pills or long-acting options, to help prevent HIV before being exposed to it.
Over time, her decision became something larger: a mission to build trusting relationships and empower other young women to understand their prevention options, access care and take control of their health. Volunteering 40 hours a week, every week, Brenda helps raise awareness about HIV prevention, educate women on sexual and reproductive health and connect people in her community to PrEP, including those who may be unable or hesitant to visit a health facility.
For young women, especially in high-burden settings, prevention cannot be one-size-fits-all. It has to reflect real lives, barriers and choices. Brenda’s work helps support outreach in high-risk “hotspot” areas, mobilize communities and contribute to local delivery models that bring prevention closer to the women it is meant to reach. She understands that personally.
“Prevention only works when it works for real life. Having options matters because people’s lives, needs and circumstances are not all the same,” Brenda says.
As a PrEP user herself, she recognizes the need for prevention options that fit people’s lives and has witnessed first-hand how new options, including long-acting ones, can further expand what may be possible for people who need or want PrEP.
Through this work, the “invisible marathon” of behind the scenes coordination becomes a visible showcase of the next chapter in HIV prevention: a chapter where an advocate has one more conversation, the health worker reaches one more person and the community organization adapts delivery so prevention can move faster and reach further.
Watch the video above to learn more.