One of the factors that contributes to HIV prevalence among the
Maasai people is socio-cultural stigma. For the Maasai traditional
society, as well as many African societies, sex and its varied aspects
is not an open subject to the general public; but a value to be
significantly kept within its cultural bounds. It is a taboo in
many African societies to discuss, talk or display an attitude or
behavior that may be perceived sexually oriented in the eyes of
the public. This kind of cultural perception has evolved into a
serious form of social and cultural stigma associated with HIV/AIDS
infection.
 Since HIV/AIDS is in most cases transmitted among the Maasai people
through sexual activity with an infected partner, talking about
it in the public is culturally and socially embarrassing and unacceptable.
It is embarrassing because it is linked to sexual relationship which
is socio-culturally not open to the public. And secondly, because
of the negative cultural perception attached to HIV/AIDS victims—viewed
as cursed members of the society punished by the gods and ancestors
for their abominable misdeeds against the society norms and taboos.
As negative effect of this stigma, the terms HIV/AIDS are not
mentioned or used in the public to refer to the deadly disease,
but instead nick names such as "amekanyaga mawaya" meaning
in Swahili "he/she has stepped on electrocuted cables;" "ana
umeme" meaning "he/she is electrocuted;" "ana
mdudu" meaning "he/she has the germ" are used to
refer to the HIV/AIDS infected victims.
 Not
mentioning the disease openly by its proper name adds so much to
its cultural stigma, leading to lack of public awareness about the
deadly disease. Secondly, the infected victims—viewed as cursed—became
ostracized and isolated by their communities and the larger society;
left on their own to die without any support. CHATA is determined
to address the problem of socio-cultural stigma through traditional
elders peer group strategy to involve the elders through training,
to change the cultural values that constitute the stigma.
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