HIV-positive women operating successful businesses in India and elsewhere: How YOU can help them!

[Guest guest]

Dear all,

As fellow individuals committed to empowering vulnerable HIV-negative and HIV-positive communities, you are well aware that HIV-positive women face particularly challenging social, economic, and political obstacles. Yet, women in India and around the globe are taking action to overcome these structural inequalities and break the harmful cycle of HIV/AIDS and poverty. I’d like to introduce you to one innovative program that supports HIV-positive women in this difficult but vital endeavor.

The Women and Wealth Project (WWP) supports groups of HIV-positive women to launch, manage, and expand sustainable businesses. Beginning in 2006, groups of women in Cambodia and India received small loans, technical training, and continual organizational support to actualize their own business model. Reflecting the diversity of the women’s inherent skills and interests, the businesses include a garment factory in Phnom Penh (Cambodia), a traditional silk

weaving cooperative in Assam, and a creative communications and design firm in Chennai. Little by little, the businesses have secured a range of local, domestic, and international clients, and have joined together to launch the “Women’s Empowerment†(“WEâ€) brand to promote their products internationally. While the businesses still have much room for growth, they have accomplished are remarkable and multifaceted achievements thus far.

These businesses generate tangible economic gains for their staff, some of whom had not engaged in formal work before now, but WWP’s benefits extend far beyond employment. From accommodating monthly hospital visits to encouraging the women to take their ART medication daily, the women have created a safe and supportive environment that caters to their health needs. Equally significant, the businesses prioritize building the women’s personal capacity through constant opportunities to develop relevant technical skills and broad social and communication skills, including English language training. This wide range of abilities equips the WWP women to pursue more responsibility at work and in their

community. Several of the businesses’ initial members have since secured higher-level production and management positions in other organizations, thereby attaining additional socioeconomic returns.

In their communities, the WWP women have faced tremendous stigma and active discrimination, not just as a result of their HIV status but often as a result of their gender as well. Yet, through their small businesses, the women have established themselves as productive and self-sufficient community members and have earned the respect they deserve. Involvement in this project has transformed the women’s self-confidence and motivates them to improve their and their families’ livelihoods. What more, the groups hope to extend these economic and social benefits by providing micro-credit loans to other HIV-positive community members, thereby empowering larger networks of women and their

families.

Your direct support of WWP will make a significant impact on the livelihoods of the WWP women. There are many ways to help:

· Perhaps your organization or other companies and organizations you know would like to purchase the WWP businesses’ services (by ordering conference/event bags from MDSF in Cambodia, or contracting SLC in Chennai for brochures, reports, and other communications materials, and so on).

· Alternatively, technical support for business development, management, or marketing makes a significant contribution to the businesses’ sustainability.

· To help us raise awareness about this special project, we would greatly appreciate your assistance in sharing information about these WWP businesses to your colleagues and partners.

To learn more about our project, I encourage you to visit our soon-to-be-updated website (http://wwp-we.org), from which you can link to each business’ site as well. If you have any questions and/or ideas for future collaborations, please don’t hesitate to contact me. WWP is supported by my organization, the Population and Community Development Association (PDA), and by the UNDP Regional Center in Colombo (UNDP RCC).

Thank you for your support!

*Alissa Caron

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Alissa CaronPlanning OfficerCommunity Health BureauThe Population and Community Development Association (PDA)6 Sukhumvit 12, Bangkok 10110, ThailandP. (66 2) 2294611 ext. 524,

526M. (66) 081 6133602 E: alissa.caron.pda@..., alissa@...