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By: Dennis Castillo

Tags: Global Fund, Hivos, ICW, Women, RCommunity networks

After Costa Rica received women from ICW of Latin America and the Caribbean to discuss the first actions of the regional Project, “Corresponsales Clave’ talked to two of its leaders.

After a wide journey, the Latin International Community of Women (ICW) has positioned itself with significant achievements. Thus, the ICW saw the need to continue strengthening its capabilities in advocacy and community leadership of women with HIV, in order to improve the quality in the development of their actions and to have greater impact in women’s lives.

With this purpose, in 2015 the Latin ICW submitted a proposal to the Global Fund for the fight against AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria (Global Fund GF) which will be developed during three years (2016-2018), aimed at providing women with HIV in Latin America and the Caribbean a comprehensive response to HIV, including responses to specific needs, such as the respect to their human rights, in particular the protection against violence, health, reproductive sexual rights. This will be achieved through political advocacy actions for changes in the region political agendas, especially in the agendas on gender and HIV, as well as women’s empowerment and the Network strengthening.

After the meeting held in San Jose last May, where there was an exchange of experiences and alliances with organizations from the Costa Rica State for a more effective work, “Corresponsables Clave” talked to Nydia Massiel Sánchez, ICW technical secretary, to learn more about the project that includes Bolivia, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, El Salvador; Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, Panama, Peru and Dominican Republic.

Sánchez said “the proposal started in January 2016, however through financial resources of the CRG (Technical Assistance Program), in December they started mapping the regulatory frameworks on HIV, Violence against women (VAW), Sexual and reproductive rights (SRR) of 18 Latin American countries, adding to the list Argentina, Brazil, Ecuador, Mexico, Uruguay and Venezuela; countries where ICW Latina is present. With the results of this mapping there will be an online tool to find out about laws and violations of rights of women with HIV, to have evidence for the political advocacy work, both at regional and national level.” She added, “We are in the process of creating advocacy plans for countries that have been prioritized for the grant and hiring consultants to develop training modules to empower women with HIV.”

One of the main activities that will be carried out within the project framework will be a high level meeting with legislators and ministers of women, which will be defined in the next months.

The journey to achieve the project’s approval by the Global Fund was not easy. “The major challenge we faced since the formulation of the letter of interest, was the almost non-existing information (studies, indicators, etc.) about women with HIV, therefore the challenge that we have now is to show the importance of investing in women with HIV, beyond the delivery of antiretroviral medications or that a women should be taken into account only because she is pregnant”, said the ICW Technical Secretary.

Sustainability of care to women

Like all actions involved in the response to AIDS, the activities taking care of specific needs of women are at risk of extinction along with the resources that the Global Fund has allocated to Latin America.

“There is no greater economic resource, political commitment and sensitization from the States to approach the issue; but more resources have to be invested to continue projects already underway and make them sustainable,” said Ruth Linares, ICW referent to “Corresponsales Clave.”

The participation of women is primordial in the development of public policies, including topics related to HIV, from prevention, care and treatment; as well as those related to the promotion of sexual and reproductive rights of women and their human rights in general.

The ICW work in this project and the results that will be obtained, mainly in advocacy to get more and better information on the dynamics of the epidemic in women and its relation to violence, will be definitive in achieving the implementation of public policies, and with resources from the states that meet the needs of women, especially, those living with HIV.