Listen to Community Voices

Hear from women living with HIV about the National Action Plan

This webpage explores 5 key recommendations for a national action plan to advance the sexual and reproductive health and rights of women living with HIV. For each recommendation, you will find audio clips of women living with HIV and their allies describing what this recommendation means to them. We invite you to listen to their voices and hear their stories.

We encourage you to join this journey by signing an endorsement of these 5 key recommendations and commitment to implementing them.

Welcome Message from Elder Val

Elder Val is a spirited Indigenous woman of Mi'kmaq, Haida, Roma and UK Islander descent who has been living with HIV since 2004.

Hear her welcome message honouring the lands and the women living with HIV to whom this work is dedicated:

Meaningfully engage women living with HIV across research, policy, and practice aimed at advancing the sexual and reproductive health and rights by, with, and for all women living with HIV.

In community, this means:

Involve and value women living with HIV in all spaces where decisions about their health are made.

Hear from Deborah

Deborah Norris is a woman living with HIV who was diagnosed in 1991, living in Edmonton Alberta. She has been an advocate and activist for women living with HIV for over 30 years, locally, provincially, nationally and internationally. She feels passionately that the meaningful engagement of women living with HIV needs to be at the centre of all work done in HIV. Hear what this recommendation means to her:

Centre Indigenous Women’s priorities, voices, and perspectives in all efforts to advance sexual and reproductive health and rights of women living with HIV.

In community, this means:

Listen to, honour and respect the values, cultures, strengths, and priorities of Indigenous Women living with HIV throughout their healthcare journey.

COMING SOON

Use language and terminologies that are actively destigmatizing, inclusive, and reflective of women living with HIV’s strengths and experience when discussing sexual and reproductive health and the rights of women living with HIV.

In community, this means:

Be humble in learning and using respectful and accurate language, focusing on the diversity of women living with HIV.

Hear from Shadey

Shadey’s journey with HIV began in 2016 and has since been characterized by passion and commitment to her community. In 2017, she embarked on a new chapter of her life by migrating to Canada from her home country of Nigeria. She is a loving mother of two, with professional experience in research, peer mentorship, and dentistry that brings a unique perspective to the realm of healthcare as she trains to become a medical practitioner. Hear what this recommendation means to her:

Strengthen and expand Knowledge Translation initiatives to support access to and uptake of relevant and contemporary sexual and reproductive health and rights information for all stakeholders.

In community, this means:

Ensure that up-to-date, accurate information and initiatives are accessible to everyone and is shared with women living with HIV, their healthcare providers, and policymakers

COMING SOON

Catalyze the reciprocal relationship between evidence and action such that action on sexual and reproductive health and rights is guided by research evidence, and research is guided by what is needed for effective action.

In community, this means:

Build trust. Nurture relationships between women living with HIV, community, healthcare providers, researchers, and policymakers so that community priorities guide research and action.

Hear from Muluba

Muluba is a public speaker, writer, equity specialist, researcher, and activist based in Toronto. She has been living with HIV since birth. She is passionate about health equity, wellness initiatives, and pop culture. She aims to dismantle sexism, racism, ableism, and HIV stigma. Hear what this recommendation means to her: