When her story about a primary school tackling stigma against students living with HIV aired on national radio, Anne Waithera hoped that other HIV-positive children would learn that they also had a right to education. “It was important that this story be told because so many children with HIV were being turned away from both public and private schools at the time,” Waithera explained. The story aired a year before the Kenyan courts ruled that refusing to admit HIV-positive children was a criminal offense. After the ruling, Waithera’s station played the story again - this time with a studio guest to explain to listeners what the ruling meant. 

Today, Anne continues to produce stories that address the challenges of people affected by HIV.  She believes her work has opened many eyes to challenges the country faces because of the epidemic. “We are creating more tolerance for people living with HIV,” she said. “It’s slowly leading to an attitude change.”

Anne’s story won second place in the radio category of the UNESCO Red Ribbon Media Awards for Eastern and Southern Africa in 2004.