Zwei Teamkollegen halten eine Plakatwand zur HIV-Testung auf, bevor sie angebracht wird. Waingapu

Dieses neue Foto des Tages shows two members of our team holding a large HIV prevention billboard outside Rumah Kambera. It reads, in Indonesian, “Know your status, get tested for HIV now.” The message is an invitation to HIV testing in Waingapu. The panel is ready, but has not yet been installed. It is one of ten that Fair Future Foundation and Kawan Baik Indonesia are preparing for visible places in Waingapu.

HIV testing in Waingapu begins with a question

We chose a public message because silence can be dangerous. Our teams are hearing about more people affected by HIV in East Sumba, but a billboard cannot tell us how many infections there are. Nor can a face, a symptom or a rumour tell anyone their status. Only a test can begin that answer.

The sign names ways HIV can be transmitted and ways to reduce risk. HIV is the virus; AIDS is an advanced stage of untreated infection. A person can live with HIV for years without obvious symptoms. That is why we ask people to speak privately with a health professional and consider testing, especially after a possible exposure. A recent negative test may need to be repeated after the relevant window period.

A test should lead to care

A positive screening result needs confirmation under the national testing pathway. Antiretroviral treatment can protect health and, when viral suppression is sustained, prevent sexual transmission. Condoms, sterile injection equipment and PrEP where available are other prevention tools. If an exposure may have happened very recently, seek urgent clinical advice about post-exposure prophylaxis.

We have already taken this conversation into villages through our HIV education posters und Agenten von Kawan Sehat. These ten city billboards extend the invitation into everyday public space. They cannot replace a confidential consultation or reliable access to testing and treatment. They can help someone decide to ask.

No shame in knowing

The photograph catches our team steadying the frame before it goes out. We will place the signs where people pass, stop and read. No one should be blamed for having HIV or shamed for seeking a test. The useful next step is quiet and concrete. Ask a local Puskesmas or qualified health service how to test confidentially, then follow the result through.

25 September 2026 | Alex Wettstein

• Weltgesundheitsorganisation: Explains HIV transmission, testing, treatment and why a sustained undetectable viral load prevents sexual transmission to partners.
• Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: Details HIV test types and window periods, helping people understand when a negative result after recent exposure may need follow-up.
• Indonesian Ministry of Health: Distinguishes HIV from AIDS and provides Indonesian-language health information that supports informed testing and care conversations.
• UNAIDS: Explains how careful language can reduce HIV stigma, a practical barrier to testing, disclosure, treatment and respectful local care.
• Der Global Fund: Describes programmes that connect HIV prevention, testing and treatment so a public awareness message can lead to real local services.