The Catwalk4Power project is a community-building initiative, led by Positively UK Women and Act Up London Women with a focus on how HIV/AIDS impacts on women’s lives. The activism generated by this community group, raises public awareness about HIV stigma, inequality, and power. This is done through the framework of fashion and carries a strong political message while recognising the resilience and strength that women living with HIV can be empowered with.

“The Catwalk4Power opportunity enabled me to embrace a part of me that I hadn’t been considering. It reminded me that I am a woman who can be empowered to do great things and so I got fully involved with this project and was rewarded with renewed self-esteem and a greater circle of supportive friendships. I can’t explain enough, how important this has been to me, a Mum of three, who hasn’t always found it easy to participate.” 
 (‘Gift’, Catwalk4Power participant, London)

Having launched a successful catwalk event on the eve of International Women’s Day this year, we will now attend the foremost conference on HIV/AIDS, ‘AIDS2018’ in Amsterdam. To help us achieve this goal, we seek and appreciate your kind donations.

It’s important we attend this conference and build the Catwalk4Power event there because women are often overlooked across HIV discourses and they struggle to find support. Women face recurring marginalisation and this impacts their ability to attain a good quality of life and self-fulfilment. Consider this in the context of these figures: globally, over one-half of people living with HIV are women and girls. Across Europe, 30 percent of people living with HIV are women and in the United Kingdom over a quarter of all people living with HIV are women.

The initial workshop series and catwalk event invigorated dialogue on the issues women living with HIV face and it grew strong community support. We hope that we can progress further in Amsterdam and beyond, bringing women to the forefront of HIV/AIDS awareness.

We are thankful for your support.

#Catwalk4Power #ThePowerIsOurs #AmandlaAwethu