Posts Tagged ‘PWN’
Nov
30A Visit with Positive Women’s Network in South Africa: “I wish to learn more so that I can then teach others.”
2011
Posted by IDEX
Katherine Zavala – IDEX’s Program Manager, Grassroots Alliances – is in South Africa on a site visit to our partners. She reports from Johannesburg.
Today I visited IDEX’s longest partner in South Africa, Positive Women’s Network (PWN), in their new office in Johannesburg.
I was pleasantly surprised to arrive at a room full of women, as Prudence Mabele, PWN’s Director, introduced me to her office team and women participating in support groups from different townships around Johannesburg.
- Katherine with Positive Women’s Network in Johannesburg.
The Power of Support Groups
PWN’s core ongoing program has been the support group model, where women living with or impacted HIV/AIDS come and engage in a safe space with other women to share their experiences and feelings on issues prevalent in their lives.
Today there are 5 outreach coordinators and 10 support group members.
They have come to start planning their activities for 16 Days of Activism. Activities will include HIV/AIDS treatment literacy, awareness around the link between HIV/AIDS and cervical cancer, and awareness on violence against women.
Quality Health Care Remain a Challenge
Each outreach coordinator (key community liaison and facilitator of the support group) shared with me the different challenges they’ve seen in their communities.
The common theme? A lack of support from the health clinics towards women.
Mar
16PWN celebrates 100 years of International Women’s Day and 15 years of supporting women living with HIV/AIDS
2011
Posted by IDEX
To celebrate International Women’s Day, Tuesday, March 8, many IDEX partners planned and participated in local events.
IDEX partner Positive Women’s Network (PWN) held an event on March 10th to celebrate the lives and achievements of women living with HIV/AIDS. The event hosted 50 women from PWN outreach areas and recognized the achievements of the women, PLWHA, mothers, caregivers and community members that PWN works with. The event also provided a discussion session for the women to engage each other on the issues that predispose women to gender-based violence and risky behaviors leading to HIV/AIDS as well as methods to increase the involvement of women in HIV/AIDS and sexual and reproductive health policy design and implementation. Read the rest of this entry »
A group of women who are part of APROSADSE's microcredit program.
March 8th is International Women’s Day and 2011 marks the 100th anniversary of this day to celebrate women across the globe.
IDEX staff and volunteers are taking part in Mother’s March in San Francisco- come join us at 4:30pm near the 16th St. BART station and march to protest war and oppression, support social justice and solidarity with women around the world. See our event posting HERE.
IDEX also stands in solidarity with our partners around the world who are celebrating this historic day. We are getting updates from Guatemala, Mexico, South Africa, and Nepal.
Read about the exciting events they are planning below:
AFEDES: In Sacatepéquez, Guatemala, AFEDES is coordinating with other women’s organizations in holding a press conference to demand the Guatemalan state fund the construction of a women’s center for the survivors of violence and to demand public investment for women’s development, including implementing the Femicide Law. Although the 2008 law, a huge victory for feminists and women’s rights organizations, considers violence against women a punishable act, many women and those in the judicial system are unaware of the law and thus implementation is weak. AFEDES has been creating awareness on the law and empowers women to speak up for their rights and come forward about abuse.
APROSADSE: APROSADSE is organizing a celebration with a group of women and mothers of families of the students who participate in APROSADSE’s radio distance-learning education program. They are planning a morning filled with exchanging experiences as housewives and integrating a lens of gender equity. The official theme for International Women’s Day activities is “Access to education for women and girls: training, science and technology” – sharing the rights that women have to education for economic development and social change.
Nepi Behña: Nepi Behña in Mexico is working together with RedPar – National Network of Rural Promoters and Advisors – in a National Gathering of indigenous, rural and mixed race women this week. The gathering will address the findings of an investigation they carried out last year about the impact of the food crisis and climate change – as well as the changes in migration patterns.
Positive Women’s Network: Positive Women’s Network in South Africa will be holding an event to celebrate the lives and achievements of women living with HIV/AIDS. The event will host 50 women from PWN outreach areas and will provide a platform for the women to recognize and applaud each other for their achievements as women, PLWHA, mothers, caregivers and community members. The event will also provide a discussion session for the women to engage each other on issues that predispose women to gender-based violence and risky behaviors leading to HIV/AIDS as well as methods of increasing the involvement of women in HIV/AIDS and sexual and reproductive health policy design and implementation.
Whole World Women Association: WWWA, also in South Africa, will have an event on Saturday, March 12th to celebrate International Women’s Day. The theme is “Women’s Reproductive Health.” An International Women’s Day Panel Discussion will be held with representatives of the reproductive rights alliance, gender activists, and feminists attending.
Women’s Awareness Center Nepal: Women Awareness Center Nepal’s training and resource center will be inaugurated by rural women on March 8th. Women from the village will share their experiences of empowerment with the audience in the program and after the inauguration, 1000 members of WACN promoted cooperatives will participate in a rally in Kathmandu on the occasion of 100th Women’s Day in support of the IWD theme for this year “Equal access to education, training and science and technology: path way to decent work for women.” Informational placards displayed at the rally will address challenges such as, tax break for cooperatives run by village women, allocate more resources for disadvantaged women, timely drafting of the constitution, and the right to citizenship through motherhood.
Look for photos and an update from the event on our blog!
The World Social Forum (WSF) kicked off in Dakar, Senegal, this week and IDEX Program Officer Yeshica Weerasekera is on the ground and will be sending dispatches our way!
IDEX has helped to facilitate four of our South African partners to attend the WSF. While in Dakar, IDEX partners Biowatch, Positive Women’s Network, South Durban Community Environmental Alliance, and Whole World Women’s Association will organize workshop sessions that address some of the most pertinent issues facing Africa today.
PWN routinely holds workshops on HIV/AIDS and Personal Empowerment for young women in South Africa.
Workshop topics include South Durban’s fight against environmental pollution, the socioeconomic factors impacting HIV/AIDS treatment for women, and ways in which small farmer-led sustainable farming models can fight food insecurity.
A global entity, the World Social Forum began in Brazil 11 years ago as a counterweight to the elite World Economic Forum, which wrapped up last week in Davos, Switzerland. By contrast, the WSF brings together thousands of social justice movements from around the world to exchange ideas and experiences, and to network for effective action.
This year marks the second time the WSF is held in an African country, presenting an opportunity for Africa to rededicate time to fighting the immense poverty and injustice gripping the continent.
The WSF provides our partners with an excellent platform to raise awareness about their valuable work in South Africa, and to network with likeminded organizations. Such a level of cooperation is an opportunity to find solutions to some of Africa’s most pressing concerns.
In the coming weeks, look out for posts from Yeshica as well as from our partner organizations.
IDEX partner PWN campaigns for AIDS awareness in South Africa
December 1st marks World AIDS Day, and the significant decrease in global HIV rates indicates that the fight against AIDS is producing results.
According to U.N. statistics, new infections have fallen by 20 percent over the last decade, and infection rates have stabilized or slowed in nearly all countries in Sub-Saharan Africa. And although the number of HIV-positive people in South Africa is the highest in the world—about 5.7 million—the amount of new HIV infections in the country have decreased by more than one third.
This tremendous news is a reminder of how education, awareness, and improved access to HIV treatment options are among the most effective weapons in the global battle against HIV/AIDS.
Continued education and awareness are especially crucial in South Africa. Despite a gradual change in attitudes over the years, HIV/AIDS still carries a stigma that prevents many people from coming forward and seeking treatment.
Not surprisingly, a recent article for South Africa’s Health-e news agency reports that “AIDS-related stigma is still rife in South Africa, causing many people to suffer in silence.” Such shame often results in the decision to reject testing or treatment.
Recently, countrywide government initiatives have been implemented in the hopes of breaking down the stigma. In April, the Health Department and the South African National AIDS Council kicked off a yearlong campaign to test 15 million citizens for HIV by 2011.
“The purpose is to promote openness and to eradicate the silence and stigma that accompanies this epidemic,” South African President Jacob Zuma announced at the campaign’s start. See the news release here.
IDEX-partner Positive Women’s Network (PWN) has also made impressive strides in combating the stigma associated with HIV/AIDS.
Founded in 1996 by Prudence Mabele, PWN operates in townships outside of Johannesburg to provide support to HIV-positive women and to raise awareness within the greater community. A prominent AIDS activist, Mabele was one of the first women in South Africa to publicly disclose her HIV-positive status.
Years after Mabele’s bold gesture, PWN continues to encourage other HIV-positive women to “come out” about their HIV status and form support groups to address discrimination. The group also provides resources regarding access to treatment and Anti-Retroviral drugs, outreach on accurate HIV/AIDS information and strategies for supporting orphaned and vulnerable children.
On July 12, the United Nations Development Fund honored PWN with a Red Ribbon award in recognition of PWN’s outstanding community leadership and action on AIDS.
At IDEX, we are proud to support PWN’s essential work in South Africa. And while it is encouraging to read reports that infection rates are falling in the country, we also know that we have a long way to go. AIDS remains an urgent and deadly problem in South Africa, but thanks to the work of our partner, allies, and philanthropic supporters, we have the ability to continue to fight it.
To learn more about how PWN helps women in South Africa, please see our focus story on Gladys Nikelo.
Blog post by Erin Zaleski, Journalist & IDEX Volunteer.
PWN Youth Group in Johannesburg
On July 12, the United Nations Development Fund (UNDP) honored South Africa-based IDEX partner Positive Women’s Network (PWN) with a Red Ribbon award in recognition of PWN’s outstanding community leadership and action on AIDS.
Out of 720 nominations received by the UNDP from more than 100 countries, the 25 winners were judged to have demonstrated “the most remarkable efforts in terms of innovation, impact, sustainability, strategic partnerships, gender sensitivity and social inclusion.”
Founded in 1996 by Prudence Mabele, PWN operates in townships outside of Johannesburg to provide support to HIV-positive women and to raise awareness within the greater community. To combat the stigma associated with HIV/AIDS, PWN encourages HIV-positive women to “come out” about their HIV status and form support groups to address discrimination.
PWN also provides resources about how to access treatment and Anti-Retroviral drugs, outreach on accurate HIV/AIDS information and strategies for supporting orphaned and vulnerable children.
Prudence will fly to Vienna next week on behalf of PWN to participate in the XVIII International AIDS conference, where she will be honored at a formal awards ceremony. She and her fellow award winners will also host a forum for dialogue and exchange between community representatives and policy makers.
We are delighted that the UNDP has honored PWN with this prestigious award and extend a thank you to all of our donors who have helped support PWN’s commitment to AIDS awareness.
To learn more about how PWN helps women in South Africa, please see our focus story on Gladys Nikelo, a member of PWN.
Blog post by Erin Zaleski, Journalist & IDEX Volunteer.
December 1, is World Aids Day and with GlobalGiving’s matching grant program there has never been a better time to donate to IDEX partner, Positive Women’s Network (PWN), in South Africa.
PWN provides HIV-positive women with: women-led support groups to address stigma; grief counseling; workshops on treatment literacy, reproductive health and nutrition; and opportunities for income-generating projects. These are women like Gladys, who turned to PWN for support and now looks to a brighter future.
PWN and their founder, Prudence Mabele, are featured in UNAIDS Outlook 2010. See the full presentation here.
Donate now to PWN via IDEX’s funding partner GlobalGiving and take advantage of matching funds available. The matching challenge ends on Dec 1 so give now.
Seize the opportunity to make your donation go even further.
Meet the challenge!
IDEX has selected our partner Positive Women’s Network in South Africa to be part of the GlobalGiving Give More, Get More campaign.
Our goal is to fully fund this project by the end of this year. Meet the challenge and help women like Gladys face HIV/AIDS and find the strength to face the future.
“Because of PWN, I’m a strong person. And with my strength, I hope to lead other women who are HIV-positive to be strong as well.” Gladys Nikelo, presenting to a youth group in South Africa.
You can choose to support any of IDEX’s projects on GlobalGiving. But to maximize the matching grant potential we would urge you to give to PWN.
From now through December 1, projects on GlobalGiving.com are matched.
The more you give, and encourage others to give, the greater the matching gift.
On April 6, IDEX Program Officer, Kat and Vini visited PWN support group members and got a sense of life in the townships of Johannesburg.
40 minutes away, we visit another township called Kwathema. There are currently 60 support group members in Kwathema and we’re meeting the Outreach Coordinator, Gladys Nikelo. Gladys has been part of Positive Women’s Network (PWN) since 2003. When we arrived, Gladys was organizing a discussion form with the church youth group of Kwathema to start the conversation on the current HIV reality among youth in the townships. There were about 20 young men and women between the ages of 15 and 21.
Encouraged by the lively conversation and interest the youth were showing about HIV/AIDS, Prudence started facilitating the conversation to focus on what relationships are like among youth today and what they thought about it. Conversations went from “What do you think about guys having multiple girlfriends?” to “What do you think about the families having children on purpose to get social grants?” (Parents who have children are eligible to get a social grant for each child until they turn 18) or “How much did they know about HIV and are they aware enough to know how to prevent themselves from getting it?”
The youth all jumped to share their opinions and one young woman even asked if a female condom existed. It just so happened that Prudence had a sample in her bag and gave the youth group an impromptu workshop on how to use it. It was amazing to see Prudence clearly instructing the youth step-by-step how to use the female condom.
After the youth group left, I had a chance to talk to Gladys, as well as Kate, the Outreach Coordinator from Tsakane to see how their lives has improved since being part of PWN.
Gladys is 25 years old and she found out she was HIV-positive when she was 15. She tried to find a support system but was unsuccessful. When she was 19, she saw Prudence on a television show. Gladys and was amazed how confident Prudence was even though she was HIV-positive. Gladys went on a mission to find Prudence and when she did, immediately became a support group member of PWN. In 2008, after seeing her active participation, Prudence asked Gladys to become an Outreach Coordinator.
I asked Gladys what she thought of PWN and she responded, “Because of PWN, I’m a strong person and with my strength I hope to lead other women who are HIV-positive to be strong as well.”
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