A traveling contingent of women from around the globe spoke of the impact that AIDS has had on their lives—and the impact they plan on making in fighting the disease—at an informative and emotional breakfast meeting held at the Allerton Hotel March 7.
The event was moderated by Dr. Kathleen Cravero, the deputy executive director of the Joint United Nations Program on HIV/AIDS ( UNAIDS ) . Among the women who spoke:
— Frika Chia Iskandar: The 22-year-old Indonesian woman has known of her seropositivity since she was 18. Iskandar was initially rejected by her family but her parents have since started a support group for HIV-positive children. She is field manager of the Spiritia Foundation, which supports the Indonesian People Living with AIDS Association. Iskandar advised the meeting's attendees to think of 'young, beautiful women' like her whenever they think of AIDS.
— Princess Kasune Zulu: Zulu is an AIDS educator for the World Vision Hope Initiative in the African country of Zambia; she trains various organizations to care for those with AIDS and teaches prevention plans. Zulu, 29, lost her parents to the disease by the time she was 14 and she herself is HIV-positive, although her two daughters are negative. Zulu spoke of the hardships that many African women face, including having to prostitute themselves because of a lack of resources.
— Gracia Violeta Ross: The 27-year-old Bolivian has known that she is HIV-positive since 2000. She is a representative of the International Community of Women Living with HIV/AIDS ( ICW ) and is a member of the Latin American Network of People Living with HIV/AIDS ( REDLA ) . She spoke of the importance of women's needs for information and resources.
— Michaelle Soliman: Soliman, 24, is a Haitian woman who lost her mother when she was only six and her father when she was 12. Soliman is deeply involved in the fight against AIDS as a youth peer educator; she is also pursuing an advanced degree so that she will have the skills and economic opportunities necessary to protect herself from the disease. Soliman gave the most emotional speech, choking back tears when talking about her parents.
— Dr. Geeta Rao Gupta: Gupta is president of the International Center for Research on Women ( ICRW ) . She is a leading authority of women's role in development and has become an internationally recognized expert on women's HIV/AIDS issues. In an articulate presentation, Gupta spoke of several wrongs that need to be resolved regarding women and AIDS, including violence against women and a lack of property and inheritance rights. She also mentioned that she enjoys coming to Chicago because it is a 'city of activists.'
The Chicago stop was part of a five-city tour that included stops in New York City; Washington, D.C.; Miami; and Nashville. The City of Chicago Human Relations Committee, AIDS Foundation of Chicago and the Chicago Women's AIDS Project were among the organizations sponsoring the event.