(Wo)manifestos for Positive Women

Year:
2017

Project Location:
UK

Facilitators:
Becky Warnock

Partners:
Naz

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A participatory photography project with women from the BAME community who are living with HIV.

Project description:
NAZ is a sexual health charity and the ‘1000women’ initiative provides support to help improve the mental and sexual health of the Black, Asian & Minority Ethnic (BAME) community. Through peer to peer mentoring, Lesbian and Bi-sexual woman and women living with HIV can safely support one another.

PhotoVoice ran a four week programme with a group of women from the 1000women initiative. Workshops and activities explored themes such as gender, power, race, community and communication.

The issue: 
In 2015, a total of 6, 095 people were diagnosed with HIV in the UK and 45% of people accessing HIV care are from BAME communities. Despite these statistics the BAME community does not receive the resources and attention that it needs from policy-makers, decision-makers and funders. The PhotoVoice workshops provided a space for participants to campaign for better support and address HIV-related stigma.

Project Aims 

•  To build self- confidence, self-worth and reduce isolation in beneficiary women
• To enable participants to process and share their experiences and improve their future safeguarding.
• To provide insight into the women’s experiences to professionals working for Naz and wider sector support services.
• To add to service and communications tools for professionals in Naz and the wider sector.

Delivery:
During a four week workshop-based structure, participants created their own photographic and narrative based work and produced a portfolio of images, with accompanying captions which will be used as case studies and campaigning materials for NAZ.

Featured image: © Kyamu Kyamu 2017 | PhotoVoice | Naz | (Wo)manifestos for Positive Women | UK

Project Gallery: