Uganda: U=U Gave Me My Future Back – Ugandan Activist William Matovu on Replacing HIV Fear With Hope

Rio de Janeiro, Brazil — As a child growing up in Uganda, William Matovu believed HIV had already written the story of his life.

Born HIV+, he lost both of his parents to AIDS-related illnesses before he reached adulthood. When he learned of his own HIV status at the age of 14, the diagnosis came with the same fears that have haunted generations of people living with the virus: Would he live a long life? Could he ever marry? Could he have children without passing HIV on?

For years, those questions remained unanswered.

Today, Matovu is one of Uganda’s leading U=U advocates, a founding member of the Love to Love Organization and an African board member of the Prevention Access Campaign, the global movement behind the U=U campaign. Since 2017, he has worked to ensure that others receive the life-changing information he wishes he had known much earlier.

Instead of allowing HIV to define my future, he decided to become part of the solution.

“For more than a decade, I have dedicated my life to supporting people living with HIV, especially young people, through education, peer support, and advocacy,” he said. “My mission is simple. To replace fear with facts, stigma with hope, and silence with confidence.”

Growing up, he experienced stigma, fear, and uncertainty. Like many people living with HIV, he believed his dreams had limits simply because of his status. “Nobody told me that I could live a long, healthy life or have an HIV-negative family,” he said.

Then Matovu learned about U=U – Undetectable equals Untransmittable.

U=U means that when a person living with HIV takes their medication consistently and maintains an undetectable viral load, they cannot sexually transmit HIV to their partners. It is one of the most important scientific discoveries in HIV history because it replaces fear with evidence. U=U does not mean HIV is cured. It means treatment works. People living with HIV can live long, healthy lives, build families, pursue relationships, and contribute fully to society without the fear of passing HIV on through sex.

Simply put, he said, treatment protects health and prevents transmission.

“Learning that people living with HIV who take treatment consistently and achieve an undetectable viral load cannot sexually transmit HIV completely transformed how I saw myself. It gave me freedom, confidence, and hope,” said Matovu.

“It gave me freedom, confidence, and hope,” he said. He has since built his advocacy around making sure others receive that same information “much earlier than I did.” “I created spaces where people living with HIV can ask difficult questions without fear, share their stories openly, and discover that HIV does not define their worth or future,” he said.

Despite overwhelming scientific evidence supporting U=U, Matovu says misinformation continues to shape public understanding of HIV across many African communities. Matovu is clear-eyed about why.

“Science alone does not change beliefs,” he said.

Many people, including some healthcare workers, continue relying on outdated information that predates the scientific evidence underpinning U=U. Cultural beliefs, religious influences and persistent stigma also make it harder for accurate information to spread.

“Fear spreads faster than facts,” he said.

“In some places, people living with HIV are still told that they are always infectious, even when science clearly shows otherwise.”

In Uganda and many other African countries, conversations about HIV are also influenced by culture, religion, and misinformation. Changing that, he said, will take consistency. The government, health care workers, educators, and community leaders should communicate U=U consistently; otherwise, many people will believe outdated information.

“People believe people before they believe statistics,” he said.

Through the Love to Love Organization and his advocacy work, he encourages people living with HIV to share their own stories – stories of healthy relationships, HIV-negative partners, HIV-negative children, and lives no longer defined by the virus. He said that his work is to simplify the science, using everyday language instead of medical jargon during community dialogues, peer education programmes, social media campaigns and face-to-face conversations.

“When people hear someone say, ‘I have been undetectable for years, my spouse is HIV-negative, and my children are HIV-negative,’ the message becomes real instead of theoretical,” he said.

Treatment alone isn’t enough

While U=U offers hope, Matovu said that achieving an undetectable viral load remains out of reach for many people facing structural barriers.

For someone newly diagnosed, Matovu said, U=U can be the difference between a diagnosis that feels like an ending and one that feels like a beginning. A new diagnosis typically arrives with fear, guilt, and anxiety about whether a normal life is still possible. Understanding U=U reframes HIV as a manageable health condition rather than a barrier to falling in love, building a family, or pursuing a career.

The evidence is not abstract to him.

“Personally, U=U changed my own life. Today I am happily married, and my wife and our two beautiful children are HIV-negative. My family is living proof that treatment works,” he said.

“For many people, U=U is not just science. It is emotional healing.”

Even when people accept the science, believing in U=U is not the same as achieving it. Poverty, transport costs, medication stock-outs, food insecurity, mental health challenges and limited access to viral load testing continue to interrupt treatment for many people living with HIV. Some avoid clinics altogether for fear of being seen and judged. Others fall away from care after receiving incorrect information or simply losing hope.

“Knowledge alone is not enough,” he said. “Achieving U=U requires strong health systems, reliable treatment, supportive communities, and policies that put people living with HIV at the centre of care.”

A tool to help end AIDS

Matovu sees U=U as more than a personal turning point; he considers it one of the most powerful prevention tools available.

U=U is one of the most powerful HIV prevention tools we have.

When people understand that treatment protects both their health and their partners, they are more likely to get tested, begin treatment early, and remain in care, he said. “This benefits individuals, families, and entire communities,” he said. At the same time, reducing stigma encourages more people to seek healthcare without fear.

“If we combine U=U with widespread testing, accessible treatment, prevention services, and community leadership, we can move much closer to ending AIDS as a public health threat,” he said.

For Matovu, however, the message extends beyond science.

“Start by sharing accurate, science-based information. Do not spread fear or outdated messages. Listen to people living with HIV, amplify their voices, and challenge stigma whenever you encounter it. Challenge stigma when you see it, he said, whether you are a health worker, journalist, teacher, faith leader, policymaker, or community member; your words matter.”

“U=U is more than a scientific message – it is a human rights message. Every person living with HIV deserves access to treatment, dignity, respect, and the truth,” he said. “When we share the truth about U=U, we are not only preventing HIV transmission – we are restoring hope, protecting families, and helping people live free from stigma.