30 November 2023
We are excited to announce that we will be attending ICASA 2023 in Harare, Zimbabwe from the 4th – 9th of December!
Women’s Networking Zone
We will be co-hosting the Women’s Networking Zone alongside other feminist and women’s rights organisations. The Women’s Networking Zone is a space hosted and convened at global and AIDS Conferences and other global policy spaces in the global HIV response. Collectively we have nurtured the space over time through cross movement collaboration between networks of women living with HIV and other women’s rights groups. It is a vibrant, inclusive, and exciting space where community members, advocates, policy-analysts, decision-makers, service-providers, and researchers share and learn. We continue to create the space for community building, networking, and strategising. The Women’s Networking Zone encourages intergenerational and multilateral and conversations, reinforce existing relationships and create new linkages, continue to strengthen our collective HIV advocacy, and share knowledge.
The theme for ICASA 2023, “Looking into the Future towards Agenda 2030,” which underscores the urgency of addressing the evolving challenges and opportunities in the fight against HIV and AIDS. The activities and sessions at the Women’s Networking Zone will be dedicated to exploring the progress for women living with HIV and the intersections with gender, health equity and other sexual and reproductive health and rights aligned with the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals.
ATHENA will be hosting a session at the Women’s Networking Zone on Tuesday, 5th December (11:30am – 12:30pm).by In this session, our SHELEARNS focal points will explore digital advocacy; the SHELEARNS HIV and SRHR advocacy toolkit; intergenerational mentorship in feminist movement building; opportunities and challenges in intergenerational mentorship; and an interactive sharing of ideas and experiences.
Oral Presentation
We will be sharing our work during an oral presentation Scaling up AGYW-led Advocacy Using Digital Technologies. The session will share how #WhatGirlsWant focal points in Eastern and Southern Africa use digital advocacy to mobilise and connect with adolescent girls, young women and gender diverse people in their respective countries nationally at a grassroots level; connect with decision-makers and stakeholders; inform national, regional and global agendas; and drive SRHR, HIV and health equity advocacy.
We look forward to sharing our work, learning, connecting with old colleagues and friends, expanding our network and forge new relationships.