The Transformation of an HIV/Aids Social Movement in Northern Brazil: A Case Study of the State of Amazonas

This manuscript focuses on the influence of public health policies on social action related to the HIV/AIDS epidemic in Northern Brazil. It is a case study of these relationships in the state of Amazonas. Federal funding provided by these policies has had  multiple effects on the HIV/AIDS social movement in Amazonas. On the one hand, this fiscal support has strengthened some AIDS social action groups so that they could organize nonprofit organizations which effectively work for improvements in the rights of infected persons. While on the other, once these grants were offered, the community based organizations began to compete intensely among themselves for them. This inter organizational competition has resulted in a substantial weakening of the HIV/AIDS social movement in Amazonas. My analysis will explain how the governmental grants have profoundly impacted the HIV/AIDS social movement for a decade(2003-2013). The presentation will show that the public financial support resulted in the community based organization's (CBO) legalization and formalization, but for many of them it also meant a change in institutional mission. Acceptance of the public funding  has in many cases meant that they no longer work with and empower the most vulnerable groups affected by the HIV/AIDS epidemic. The data for this study came from in depth, personal, unstructured interviews with HIV/AIDS social leaders in Amazonas. In conclusion, the Amazonas case study shows how the sociological context has profoundly shaped and redirected the mission of an HIV/AIDS social movement in Northern Brazil. We must keep in mind that participants in a social movement may have goals that are very different from public policies of the wider society.