Gender and HIV and AIDS in Southern Africa and Canada

With support from Health Canada's HIV/AIDS Global Engagement Grants Program, Oxfam Canada is leading on a unique project enabling women leaders from Southern Africa and Canada to identify challenges and share effective approaches.

AN INNOVATIVE OPPORTUNITY!

With support from Health Canada's HIV/AIDS Global Engagement Grants Program, Oxfam Canada is leading on a unique project enabling women leaders from Southern Africa and Canada to identify challenges and share effective approaches. To March 2010, learning exchange participants in Halifax, Toronto and Southern Africa will identify and share what works, what they are learning and next steps on critical topics, including:

Project partners and collaborators include:

Veronica Ngwerume-Kanyongo, Seke Rural Home Based Care (Zimbabwe)

Lois Chingandu, Southern Africa HIV and AIDS Information Dissemination Service (SAfAIDS)

Meskerem Tebeje and Kara Gillies, Voices of Positive Women (Toronto)

Darien Taylor,Canadian AIDS Treatment Information Exchange (Toronto)

Monique Fong, Healing Our Nations (Halifax)

What is this project about?

This project connects organizations across continents and cultures working on similar issues-- gender and HIV and AIDS. Through community forums in Halifax, Toronto, and South Africa, Oxfam will capture the work of leading HIV and AIDS organizations in order to raise awareness of women and girls living within the HIV and AIDS pandemic. This work will result in the development of an action plan to address gender inequality and HIV and AIDS within Canada and Southern Africa.

Other AIDS Serving Organizations (ASOs) across Canada and Southern Africa will also be invited to share in the exchange and learnings.

This project will:

Raise awareness of HIV and AIDS as a women's right issue
Identify what's working in community outreach and leadership for organizations focused on gender and HIV and AIDS
Document and disseminate innovative approaches and key learnings to AIDS Serving Organizations (ASOs) across Canada and Southern Africa
Create individual and organizational planning for further action

Click here to read an example of Best Practice - Culture, gender and HIV in Zimbabwe.