Follow JASS during the annual international campaign, 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-based Violence Campaign (Nov. 25 – Dec.10). We will be featuring extraordinary stories from our many networks that demonstrate the multi-faceted nature of organizing for change. You will learn not only about what they are confronting in their hostile contexts, but also how they are courageously responding with strategies that are creative, take safety and risk into account and offer alternative solutions that support entire communities.
Below we share some of these stories:
Malawi
HIV-positive women are boldly organizing for equal treatment and healthcare for themselves and everyone living with HIV in Malawi. Their campaign, Our Bodies, Our Lives (OBOL), took shape because of JASSā ongoing feminist movement building process and accompaniment with our allies ā progressive faith-based network, the Malawi Network of Religious Leaders Living with or Personally Affected by HIV and AIDS, and the Coalition of Malawian Women Living with HIV/AIDS. This grassroots campaign, now 6500-strong and in every district, has placed HIV-positive women in the leadership of transformative health solutions for everyone. They have upended stigma, lifted taboos about sex and sexuality, and reversed discriminatory treatment policies at the national level. Today the women of OBOL continue to be an unstoppable citizen force taking on other issues such as land inheritance, LGBT rights and fair treatment of sex workers. Learn more about their story.