What Works for Women and Girls

11G. Strengthening the Enabling Environment:Promoting Women’s LeadershipStrengthening women’s NGOs and women leaders who can mobilize in-country efforts inthe interests of women and girls who are affected by HIV is critical. Fostering social capitalamong and within these groups is also important. Just asthe gay movement in the U.S. spurred activism and cohesionaround HIV and AIDS early in the epidemic (Fauci, inGoldman, 2008), women in the Global South need supportfor the NGOs that can provide this mobilization of supportand attention (Wellings et al., 2006). However, socialcapital, through participation in groups, can have positiveas well as negative outcomes (Szreter and Woolcock, 2004;Pearce and Smith, 2003). Smith and Rimal (2009: 141) putit succinctly that “integration into a social system can serveto smother or inspire.” For women, integration in groupsdominated by male leadership can serve to smother.“While before I had been a victimand doomed, I started to becomean actor in the fi ght againstthis terrible illness through myactive participation in preventioncampaigns.”—Effi cace, HIV-positive woman,Cameroon (Offe and van Roenne,2007: 7)Positive Women Deserve Meaningful Involvement in the Response to HIV and AIDSIn most support groups and networks of people with HIV, women make up the vast majority ofmembers of the networks yet the paid or elected positions are filled mostly by men (Manchester,2004). Women living with HIV want substantial and meaningful involvement in policy andprogram design and implementation, rather than just to be included as honorary speakers oradvisory members. As Fria Chika Islandar, a young Indonesian woman living with HIV put itat the International AIDS Conference Plenary in Toronto, Canada in August 2006, “I learnedto demand my rights. I don’t want to just be listed in a report. I want to be more involved”(Islander, 2006). Few organizations recognize HIV-positive women’s organizations’ right toinvolvement “and often assume either that an HIV-positive man can speak for all HIV-positivepeople, or that a few individual women on their own can be expected, as token women, to carrythe burden of representing the views and perspectives of the vast number of women and girlsacross the region” (Paxton et al., 2004a: 18).HIV and AIDS programs need more women involved in leadership positions—particularlyHIV-positive women and women with relevant skills. “There are many innovative responsesby…HIV-positive women and girls worldwide. They show that quality of life does not end withan HIV diagnosis, but that given the right support, women and girls living with HIV canthrive and play a vital role in society, in families, and in prevention and support programmes”(ICW, 2004: 2). Despite significant challenges and limited resources, women and girls areresponding positively to the epidemic—setting up support clubs, conducting peer education,providing care and support, looking after orphaned children, and engaging in advocacy andpolicy dialogue—and their contribution needs to be acknowledged and supported.WHAT WORKS FOR WOMEN AND GIRLS337