International Community of Women Living with HIV/AIDS (ICW)

ICW's key communication strategy is global networking - reaching isolated women living with HIV/AIDS and, through support, education, and training, working to mobilise them to get involved in areas of service delivery and policy that affect their lives and the lives of their children and families. To facilitate this connection and capacity-building, ICW draws on several modes of interaction, such as face-to-face, interpersonal contact in the form of trainings and meetings for HIV-positive women.
ICW has also developed an interactive website that offers a variety of resources, information, and publications - as well as, crucially, a way for HIV-positive women to connect with each other, sharing experiences and strategies. For example, members of the ICW e-community can ask any HIV/woman-related questions, by chatting directly, posing questions through the forums, or contacting their regional contact(s) for information about HIV-positive women's groups in their area. Along the lines of the latter, regional networking is also a focus of ICW, and takes the form of capacity building, policy, and advocacy through the setting up of regional programmes. For example, ICW has organised workshops for young women in Africa in an effort to share experiences and develop activist skills.

ICW advocates for HIV positive women's sexual and reproductive rights and access to care, treatment, and support - bringing their concerns to national and international arenas. ICW carries out this role by participating various conferences and meetings, as well as by undertaking specific advocacy projects. For example, ICW Latina have taken the Argentinean government to court to challenge the quality of anti-retrovirals (ARVs) they distribute. In addition, ICW is the co-convening agency (with the World Health Organization, or WHO) for the treatment and care arm of the Global Coalition on Women and AIDS, which is an initiative made up of activists, government representatives, and community workers. Its efforts will focus on preventing new HIV infections among women and girls, promoting equal access to HIV care and treatment, accelerating research on microbicides, protecting women's property and inheritance rights, and reducing violence against women. (For additional examples of ICW's advocacy strategies and activities, visit the website, where one may also access an Advocacy Pack that includes information on different policy processes (such as the Global Coalition on Women and AIDS, the 3 by 5, the Three Ones, and so on); positive women's involvement in these processes; and strategies positive women have used to ensure their meaningful involvement and impact.)

As suggested by the above, ICW's collaborative work with other organisations such as the Global Network of People Living with HIV/AIDS (GNP+), the International AIDS Society (IAS), International Council of AIDS Service Organisations (ICASO), UNAIDS, and various international non-governmental organisations (NGOs), has been a key programme strategy. ICW's collaborative work is part of its efforts to focus attention on HIV-positive women across the world.

Producing and disseminating research, publications, and information is another key aspect of ICW's work. For instance, the organisation shares research conducted by women living with HIV/AIDS on the experiences and rights of HIV-positive women worldwide. ICW has developed training materials for health workers as well as tools and guides for activism and monitoring work on HIV positive women's rights. ICW News (quarterly), A Positive Women’s Survival Kit, and other ICW publications feature the experiences and voices of positive women from 6 continents. The website provides access to and/or information about these resources. Here, one may also learn about ICW membership, which is free and is for HIV-positive women only. In addition to the opportunity to make contact with other HIV-positive women around the world, members receive the free quarterly newsletter, a copy of the Positive Woman's Survival Kit, and copies of ICW's vision papers.

HIV/AIDS, Women, Rights.

According to ICW, most new infections of HIV occur in young women between the ages of 15 and 24, and new infections among women are increasing at a faster rate than new infections among men.

ICW was formed by a group of HIV-positive women from many different countries attending the 8th International Conference on AIDS held in Amsterdam in July 1992. They shared stories and strategies for coping, and devised action plans for the future - which led to a drawing up the "Twelve Statements" of ICW. Their vision is a world where all HIV-positive women:

• have a respected and meaningful involvement at all political levels where decisions that affect their lives are being made;
• have full access to care and treatment;
• enjoy full rights irrespective of their culture, age, religion, sexuality, social or economic status/class and race.

Visit the ICW website for additional details about the organisation's history, mission, and values.