Fighting HIV/AIDS in Senegal
First woman strikes out to promote condom sales

Senegal's first woman condom wholesaler, Arame Ba (right), discusses healthy behavior and HIV/AIDS prevention in her restaurant in Mbour. Photo by Adolphe Biaye.

In Senegal, where only 0.7 percent of the general population is infected with HIV/AIDS, one would think there is no need for pioneers to advance new ideas on how to halt the spread of the disease.  But Arame Ba is clearly an innovator.

Mrs. Ba, a 45-year-old mother of four children aged 17 to 30 and a savvy businesswoman, knows an opportunity when she sees one.  And unlike some, this business saves lives.  She's Senegal's first wholesaler of condoms supported by USAID's health program, operating out of her restaurant in the tourist-rich town of Mbour on Senegal's popular Petit Cote where 20% of sex workers are infected with HIV.

“I'm proud to be the first woman to market condoms.  I'm serving the population and making a tangible contribution in the fight against sexually transmitted diseases and HIV/AIDS,” she says.

In 2002, she and a community health worker friend visited a woman living with HIV/AIDS.  “I was moved deeply by this woman's story, and I wasn't able to continue the discussion.  This contact gave a face to the disease, and from that moment on, I knew I had to do something.  And I did.”

In January 2007, she left a position at a leading telecommunications agency.  Highly skilled in commercial distribution, Mrs. Ba created a business selling art objects and distributing newspapers at her restaurant.  Mrs. Ba’s customer relation skills have prepared her well to work within the private sector.

Captivated by Mrs. Ba’s dynamic personality, USAID's implementing partner, the Senegalese Agency for the Development of Social Marketing (ADEMAS), proposed that she become a wholesaler.  In May 2007, she accepted and became the first female member of the network, supplying “Protec” condoms to points of sale in Mbour and nearby towns. 

She's not only the first woman among the 36 wholesalers.  She's one of the best. From June to September 2007 alone, ADEMAS distributed over 530,000 condoms and Mrs. Ba's sales of 39,000 condoms represents 7.3% of all sales
Her contribution extends beyond the bottom line: she is a counselor who tells others about HIV/AIDS.  With her four-person team, she participates in community awareness-raising activities about the facts of sexually transmitted diseases and HIV/AIDS. 

“Talking with my customers and during discussion groups, I always stress the importance of condom use and its advantages to help lead a healthy lifestyle,” says Mrs. Ba.  "I also like to speak with parents to help them better communicate with their children about such sensitive subjects like sexuality and HIV/AIDS,” she adds.

At times, she faces obstacles in her work.  People sometimes tell her that Islam forbids the use of condoms because it entices young men and women to have “bad behavior” and encourages sexual relations.  Others believe that condoms prevent pregnancy, and many traditional Senegalese still prefer large families.

She has, however, the backing of members of her local religious community in this predominantly Muslim West African country.  “I consulted with religious leaders and they told me that if my work helped people protect themselves against disease, it contributes to a divine act in helping preserve my neighbor.”

She invites not only her colleagues from the private sector and but more importantly young women to get involved by telling the facts about HIV/AIDS and distributing the condoms.“By helping fight HIV/AIDS through condom promotion, I am laying my stone to help build a society of development,” she says.