National event raises funds to provide support and services for Canadians living with HIV/AIDS in their communities
The Scotiabank AIDS Walk for Life is a national awareness and fundraising event that takes place every year in communities across Canada. Funds raised support direct programs and services for Canadians living with HIV/AIDS in their communities. On Thursday September 22, AIDS Vancouver Island will hold its Nanaimo and area AIDS Walk at Vancouver Island University.
As many as 68,000 people are living with HIV/AIDS in Canada. One third of them don’t even know it. There is no cure and no vaccine to prevent new infections. Women make up a growing proportion of people living with or at risk of HIV/AIDS in Canada.
While all women are potentially at risk for HIV infection, women who belong to socially and economically marginalized populations face a number of inter-connecting determinants of health such as racism, (un)employment, homelessness, stigma and poverty.
We speak with Claire Dineen from the AIDS Vancouver Island Nanaimo office and with Katya MacDonald, who is women’s representative with the Vancouver Island University Students’ Union.
