An interview with Wanjiru Munene, communications specialist at the African and Caribbean Council of HIV/AIDS in Ontario (ACCHO). ACCHO is a provincial organization that provides strategic leadership in response to HIV/AIDS in the African, Caribbean, and Black (or ACB) communities in Ontario.
Wanjiru Munene is a communications specialist at the African and Caribbean Council of HIV/AIDS in Ontario, or (ACCHO). ACCHO is a provincial organization that provides strategic leadership in response to HIV/AIDS in Ontario's African, Caribbean, and Black (or ACB) communities.
ACCHO came into existence as a result of the disproportionate impact of HIV/AIDS within ACB communities due to anti-Black racism and other social and economic determinants of health. They are committed to facilitating systemic change that will amplify the voices and better the lives of ACB people living with, affected by, or at risk of HIV/AIDS.
We'll talk to Wanjiru about how HIV/AIDS disproportionately impacts Black women in Ontario and how ACCHO's recently launched Positive Conversations campaign. The campaign part of their special initiative called The Care Collective aims to normalize and encourage positive conversations about HIV and HIV testing within Ontario's Black community, especially among Black women.
Did you know that over 60% of all Ontario women who test positive for HIV are black? In fact, this number is on the rise. Despite this, Black people are less likely than non-Black people in Ontario to know their HIV status and be on HIV treatment.
According to the Ontario Ministry of Health, over 26,000 people are living with HIV/AIDS in Ontario. We need to confront the stigma around HIV that exists within Ontario's Black community and amplify positive conversations that can help take on this shadow pandemic.
Show notes
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