National Community of Women Living with HIV/AIDS (NACWOLA)

NACWOLA network was founded in response to the desperate lack of information available to HIV positive women at the time, which propagated a profound sense of isolation. NACWOLA projects and activities seek to:

• fight stigma and abuse directed towards HIV/AIDS positive women and their families;
• access information on HIV/AIDS through networking with other AIDS service organisation’s to reduce fear and isolation;
• empower women living with HIV/AIDS economically, to reduce their vulnerability and dependency;
• unite all women living with HIV/AIDS in order to attain psychological support and act as one strong voice in the fight against AIDS;
• empower family members, especially children, with coping mechanisms for the future; and
• contribute to the prevention of further spread of HIV/AIDS in the community.

The organisation works to achieve its goals through sensitising communities through various media, such as music, dance, and drama performances, as well as through a newsletter Positive Women, which is published in six languages. Community members also have opportunities to take part in information, education, and communication (IEC) activities such as talk shows, paper presentations at workshops, seminars, and conferences at national and international level. Women are encouraged to become economically self-reliant through income generating activities in various fields including heifer, piggery, poultry and goat rearing, retail, revolving funds, and other home-based projects.

NACWOLA also helps affected orphans to deal with the disease and its consequences. Working with voluntary health workers, NACWOLA hands out information about HIV/AIDS, arranges courses in small villages in rural areas, and works closely with other organisations to combat stigma. According to the organisation, one of the most important parts of their work is to help parents living with HIV to find a way to talk with their children and to prepare them for their eventual deaths.

Within this scope the Memory Books project was created. Parents are supported through training to disclose their HIV status and ill health to their children, plan for the future by establishing child guardianship arrangements, and provide documentation of important family history and precious memories in the format provided by the Memory Book. The organisation also provides legal assistance for the preparation of valid wills and works with children to enhance their understanding and acceptance of AIDS in the family.

On a national level, NACWOLA works with other AIDS and women's support organisations in lobbying efforts to eliminate stigma and improve the quality of life for all persons living with HIV/AIDS. NACWOLA is also part of an international community promoting research, drugs, and microbicides, and the elimination of barriers to effective participation by persons living with HIV/AIDS in the workplace and at home.

HIV/AIDS, Women