ICW NEWS 39 - 2007: Celebrate ICW’s 15 years of activism, advocacy, support and friendship
Submitted by ICW on 22 November, 2007 - 14:17.
The December 2007/January 2008 Issue
Special Focus: Reflections on positive women’s participation in international conferences, including Toronto AIDS2006, the Nairobi 2007 Women’s Summit, and looking forward to Mexico AIDS2008.
Learning from our past work, planning for our future work
o Sophie Dilmitis, ICW International Steering Committee member and one of the organisers of the International Women’s Summit in Nairobi, considers its successes and unmet goals. Can we learn from these in order to get our messages across next summer in Mexico?
We need to intensify advocacy and mobilisation at all levels. Issues were articulated well but it is up to us to take it further for action. Nairobi participant
o Louise Binder, a central organiser of the Women’s Networking Zone in Toronto and high profile HIV positive activist in Canada writes about Canadian positive women’s ‘report card’ project which graded Canada’s responses to the needs and issues of HIV positive people. She suggests that this project gained much media attention and continues to be a creative advocacy tool, which could be replicated in other countries and brought to Mexico in 2008.
A report card is an excellent tool for public awareness for people in your country.
o Stephanie, a young HIV positive Australian woman explains why HIV positive teenagers need empowerment and support. She bases her remarks on the negative and positive experiences she has experienced as a child and young woman living with HIV.
When I told the vice principal that I was positive I was told to leave, unless everyone was informed.
There is nothing like the bond between positive teenagers. When we get together there is no stopping the laughter, tears, support and stories of past camps and memories of members who have died.
Other articles in ICW News 39:
1. In My Passion is Advocacy, new International Steering Committee from Papua New Guinea, Maura Elaripe Mea, tells us about her diagnosis, her life and what she is doing today. She lost two babies to HIV and has left her marriage, but is now a committed activist both locally and internationally.
Advocacy has always been my passion.
We have to ensure that we not only attend organised activities but also take part. When you know what you want to achieve it makes a lot of difference to your advocacy plans and strategies.
2. Kauthar Bito, Deputy Director for Muslim People Living with HIV/AIDS in Kenya and ICW active member, writes about the HIV positive women’s group in her country and what’s so important about Breaking the Silence Beyond the Veil.
I was condemned and abused by the mosque leaders and I was not even allowed to attend the mosque prayers. I didn’t stop but went ahead to form a network.
I talked to them about ICW and being members. I supplied them with the membership forms and all wanted to be members.
3. Helen NB takes us on a journey of discovery about what it is like to be an HIV positive African woman, now living as a migrant in a northern European country. In Who Am I? No Way! It Can’t Be! she digs deep into the way all aspects of her identity – as a woman, mother, college graduate, human being, were subsumed under the negative label of migrant. She also explains how being HIV positive and a black African woman impacted on all areas of her new life in a strange country.
When I tried to make friends with nationals I was accused of looking for marriage as a ticket to my legalisation in the country or as someone interested in their money be it men or women.
When I got a job as an Administrative Assistant and on my first day the first person to welcome me took me the housekeeping section and started explaining all the cleaning procedures. I told her I was working in Administration. She laughed and said, ‘I thought you were a migrant’.
4. In Chairing the ISC – What MariJo Did, Fiona Hale explores what is involved in the work of chairing ICW’s International Steering Committee and relates it to the approach taken by MariJo Vazquez during her time on that job. Far from being dry or formal, Fiona’s analysis of the meaning and importance of the work of chair illuminates ICW political processes – their possibilities and challenges. Alice Welbourn also thanks MariJo for her impressive work for ICW.
Often ICW members have many experiences in common, but do not necessarily agree on solutions or ways forward. In that case, MariJo has led us in trying to establish a position, which fairly reflects the issues and the differences.
Mari Jo, as chair, has successfully and tactfully helped policy-makers to understand why it is not always possible to say, ‘This is what HIV positive women want’ – because it depends on which HIV positive women you are referring to.
Mari Jo has promoted our emphasis on the importance of each woman living with HIV having the possibility of deciding for herself what is best for her, in her own context and situation.
5. Misozi Zulu, from Zambia, writes in the ‘Letters’ column about her life and work around HIV. She is a volunteer in the Network of Zambian People Living with HIV/AIDS. She responds to a request for opinions from ICW members about whether or not ICW should place memorials for members who have died on our website. Misozi thinks it is a good idea although we must ‘remember that not all of us are out and that we need to ask permission from their closest families.’
6. Announcements and News
o Information about the upcoming International AIDS conference to be held in Mexico in 2008. Dates, deadlines and suggestions for getting to Mexico.
o ISC meeting in Nairobi: what was discussed and decided by ICW’s Steering Committee.
o Elena Spitsina, ICW ISC member from Russia, sends a photo of her recent marriage and describes her feelings and happiness.
And More…
If you want to follow up on any of these stories, or find out how you can support ICW’s work, please contact Emma or Corinne info@icw.org.
Special Focus: Reflections on positive women’s participation in international conferences, including Toronto AIDS2006, the Nairobi 2007 Women’s Summit, and looking forward to Mexico AIDS2008.
Learning from our past work, planning for our future work
o Sophie Dilmitis, ICW International Steering Committee member and one of the organisers of the International Women’s Summit in Nairobi, considers its successes and unmet goals. Can we learn from these in order to get our messages across next summer in Mexico?
We need to intensify advocacy and mobilisation at all levels. Issues were articulated well but it is up to us to take it further for action. Nairobi participant
o Louise Binder, a central organiser of the Women’s Networking Zone in Toronto and high profile HIV positive activist in Canada writes about Canadian positive women’s ‘report card’ project which graded Canada’s responses to the needs and issues of HIV positive people. She suggests that this project gained much media attention and continues to be a creative advocacy tool, which could be replicated in other countries and brought to Mexico in 2008.
A report card is an excellent tool for public awareness for people in your country.
o Stephanie, a young HIV positive Australian woman explains why HIV positive teenagers need empowerment and support. She bases her remarks on the negative and positive experiences she has experienced as a child and young woman living with HIV.
When I told the vice principal that I was positive I was told to leave, unless everyone was informed.
There is nothing like the bond between positive teenagers. When we get together there is no stopping the laughter, tears, support and stories of past camps and memories of members who have died.
Other articles in ICW News 39:
1. In My Passion is Advocacy, new International Steering Committee from Papua New Guinea, Maura Elaripe Mea, tells us about her diagnosis, her life and what she is doing today. She lost two babies to HIV and has left her marriage, but is now a committed activist both locally and internationally.
Advocacy has always been my passion.
We have to ensure that we not only attend organised activities but also take part. When you know what you want to achieve it makes a lot of difference to your advocacy plans and strategies.
2. Kauthar Bito, Deputy Director for Muslim People Living with HIV/AIDS in Kenya and ICW active member, writes about the HIV positive women’s group in her country and what’s so important about Breaking the Silence Beyond the Veil.
I was condemned and abused by the mosque leaders and I was not even allowed to attend the mosque prayers. I didn’t stop but went ahead to form a network.
I talked to them about ICW and being members. I supplied them with the membership forms and all wanted to be members.
3. Helen NB takes us on a journey of discovery about what it is like to be an HIV positive African woman, now living as a migrant in a northern European country. In Who Am I? No Way! It Can’t Be! she digs deep into the way all aspects of her identity – as a woman, mother, college graduate, human being, were subsumed under the negative label of migrant. She also explains how being HIV positive and a black African woman impacted on all areas of her new life in a strange country.
When I tried to make friends with nationals I was accused of looking for marriage as a ticket to my legalisation in the country or as someone interested in their money be it men or women.
When I got a job as an Administrative Assistant and on my first day the first person to welcome me took me the housekeeping section and started explaining all the cleaning procedures. I told her I was working in Administration. She laughed and said, ‘I thought you were a migrant’.
4. In Chairing the ISC – What MariJo Did, Fiona Hale explores what is involved in the work of chairing ICW’s International Steering Committee and relates it to the approach taken by MariJo Vazquez during her time on that job. Far from being dry or formal, Fiona’s analysis of the meaning and importance of the work of chair illuminates ICW political processes – their possibilities and challenges. Alice Welbourn also thanks MariJo for her impressive work for ICW.
Often ICW members have many experiences in common, but do not necessarily agree on solutions or ways forward. In that case, MariJo has led us in trying to establish a position, which fairly reflects the issues and the differences.
Mari Jo, as chair, has successfully and tactfully helped policy-makers to understand why it is not always possible to say, ‘This is what HIV positive women want’ – because it depends on which HIV positive women you are referring to.
Mari Jo has promoted our emphasis on the importance of each woman living with HIV having the possibility of deciding for herself what is best for her, in her own context and situation.
5. Misozi Zulu, from Zambia, writes in the ‘Letters’ column about her life and work around HIV. She is a volunteer in the Network of Zambian People Living with HIV/AIDS. She responds to a request for opinions from ICW members about whether or not ICW should place memorials for members who have died on our website. Misozi thinks it is a good idea although we must ‘remember that not all of us are out and that we need to ask permission from their closest families.’
6. Announcements and News
o Information about the upcoming International AIDS conference to be held in Mexico in 2008. Dates, deadlines and suggestions for getting to Mexico.
o ISC meeting in Nairobi: what was discussed and decided by ICW’s Steering Committee.
o Elena Spitsina, ICW ISC member from Russia, sends a photo of her recent marriage and describes her feelings and happiness.
And More…
If you want to follow up on any of these stories, or find out how you can support ICW’s work, please contact Emma or Corinne info@icw.org.