In the lead up to the International AIDS Conference in Mexico City this August, Community Educators organized workshops with a range of local groups on the important issues around the pandemic with a focus on how women are affected. Women and girls in Canada, for example, are now the second-largest at-risk population after men who have sex with men.

While the program is emphasizing issues such as female-initiated prevention methods, sex workers and the relationship between HIV and political and social inequality—the Community Educators have made a concerted effort to engage all Canadians. The Vancouver group, for instance, has actively engaged male volunteers and male-centered organizations.

In Regina, volunteer Danielle Bourgeois says her experience educating community members has been a valuable learning experience. “What has been really interesting is to take a closer look at the global social impacts of the HIV and AIDS epidemic and how it affects the daily lives of those who have been affected, especially women”, she notes.

The Community Educator volunteers have been a vital element of Oxfam’s grassroots efforts in campaigning around HIV and AIDS with a focus on women’s rights, building awareness of the links between community needs and global action.