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= Jeanne Gapiya = Jeanne Gapiya is the president of Association Nationale de Seropositifs (ANSS) (Källa). In 1994, Gapiya was the first person in Burundi to publicly disclose her HIV-positive status, after which she established the ANSS.

Career
The ANSS began after Gapiya spoke out publicly in a church to denounce a priest who said that people living with HIV/AIDS (PLWA) were living a divine punishment. Since then, she began gathering small groups of people and everyone gave their own testimony and began defending their own human rights. It was the beginning of such activities that later created the ANSS. The ANSS became the first center that took on full responsibility of the PLWA in Burundi with a following of more than 8,000 people.

ANSS (Association Nationale de Seropositifs) is the only organization in the country that was serving HIV+ Burundians. Through the ANSS Gapiya founded a medical clinic, smuggled essential anti-retroviral drugs (ARVs) into the country, and successfully pressured her government into finally providing these treatments free of charge to its citizens.

In an interview with the Center for Global Health Policy she said: “My role consists of mobilizing funds for PLWA in Burundi and pleading for human rights at the national and international level for people who are highly discriminated against (PLWA, men who have sex with men, orphans, etc.), particularly pleading for their right to care and treatment,” “My other role consists of constantly reminding the political leaders and decision makers of their roles and responsibilities.”