The Garifuna have historically been forgotten in Honduras and currently face one of the highest HIV rates in the Western Hemisphere. Traditional music and dance help raise awareness.
Published January 30, 2013
David Rochkind and Jens Erik Gould are the reporters behind the project "The Forgotten: HIV and the Garifuna of Honduras." The Garifuna people have historically been marginalized in Honduras and currently face one of the highest HIV rates in the Western Hemisphere. Their culture and language are in jeopardy as the disease ravages the community. But traditional music and dance are being used to help raise awareness about the epidemic, and to challenge the stigma and discrimination associated with it.
Recently
In the face of discrimination some people choose to make their HIV status publicly known. They set an example in their towns, helping to fight the sigma that exists.
Ana Vilma Batiz is an HIV/AIDS educator. She lives with the disease herself, and is a single mother taking care of three daughters, one of whom is also HIV positive.
Gateways
Grantee
Jens Erik Gould is a print and radio journalist who has reported from over a dozen countries on numerous social, political and economic issues including immigration, education, the drug trade, crime...
Grantee
David Rochkind has been based in Latin America for the past 10 years. His work has appeared in newspapers and magazines, including The New York Times Magazine, Time, Newsweek, Stern, Rolling...