[afro-nets] Give Voice to Women Addressing HIV/AIDS Globally!

[Janet Feldman <kaippg@earthlink.net>]

Give Voice to Women Addressing HIV/AIDS Globally!
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Cross-posted from Nigeria-AIDS


Help us find the missing million voices!

Can you help us find the mission millions of voices on HIV/AIDS?

Open Democracy (http://www.opendemocracy.net) the global maga-
zine of politics and culture, has a project: to give voice to
the voiceless women working against HIV/AIDS all over the world.

We want to find a few representative, strong women with strong
stories to tell about HIV/AIDS, women who have direct experience
of the problem in their communities, and are working locally to
create real solutions.

And we need your help to find them. Please write to guest editor
Robert Walgate at AIDSvoices@scienceanalysed.com with the names,
places and ideas that will make this series sing.

We want to hear not from the top levels of bureaucracies, but
from the field from the women in villages and slums who have
formed local action groups, are working on prevention measures
or with PWA, widows, widowers, surviving family carers, orphans
etc.

We want women who have real practical experience of the problem
at the local level.

We want to hear their personal stories.

We want to hear what they are doing. We want to hear their
criticisms of existing HIV/AIDS programmes imposed from above,
whether constructive or not.

AND, above all, we want to hear their vision and ideas for the
future care and prevention of HIV/AIDS in their communities.

What do THEY think is driving the epidemic in their community?
Behaviours, poverty, ignorance, economic migration, etc. etc.
what IS the local story? How is it affecting girls and women?
What are girls and women doing about it?

What is THEIR perspective on the epidemic; what is THEIR per-
spective on sexual behaviour and customs; what is THEIR perspec-
tive on the behaviour of their menfolk? And on the behaviour of
women & girls?

What changes do THEY want to take place?

How do THEY think these changes could be achieved?

What do THEY think can and should be done, however simple (per-
haps it's a few sewing machines for widows, for example)?

And what are THEIR fears for the future if these things are NOT
done?

Please write to Robert Walgate at AIDSvoices@scienceanalysed.com
with the names of the women we should talk to, and why, and tell
us how we could reach them. Help us make these women's stories
something for everyone to read, remember and act upon.

Robert Walgate\
mailto:AIDSvoices@scienceanalysed.com

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