World AIDS Day: The Cycle of Stigma
We spoke to Julie Thomas, Program Manager at Healing Our Nations, about the impact HIV stigma has on rising rates in communities from coast-to-coast. After nearly two decades at Healing Our Nations, Julie Thomas is intimately aware of the role HIV stigma plays in HIV prevention, testing and treatment. She sees it among the 33 […]
World AIDS Day: Harm Reduction Works
https://youtu.be/IEVdE-GFqNw We spoke with Shiny Mary Varghese, Executive Director of AIDS Programs South Saskatchewan, about the role of harm reduction in ending the HIV epidemic in Canada. Injection drug use accounts for almost 1 in 5 new HIV cases in Canada. AIDS Programs South Saskatchewan is responding to the ‘syndemic’ – the co-mingling of the […]
World AIDS Day: Barriers to Testing
We spoke with Alexandre Dumont Blais, Executive Director of RÉZO Santé in Montréal, about the need for better access to testing to help end the hiv epidemic in canada. In July to September this year, the team at RÉZO experienced incredible demand with their pop-up testing site, La Zone Rose, right in the heart of Montréal’s […]
World AIDS Day: Indigenous-led Response
We spoke to Jessy Dame, Director of the 2-Spirit Program at the Community Based Research Centre (CBRC) about how Indigenous communities are leading the response to their sexual health. Jessy Dame, R.N., wants allies to know that Indigenous people are taking back space and have the right to self-determine their own sexual health needs in […]
World AIDS Day: Access to Cultural Care
We spoke to notisha massaquoi, assistant professor at the university of toronto, department of health & society, and CANFAR board member, about the importance of cultural care for african, caribbean and black women. Notisha Massaquoi’s impact on HIV care best practices can be felt in projects like Women’s Health in Women’s Hands, The Black Health […]
Reaching Out to Canadian Youth
This summer, Roxanne Ma, CANFAR Manager of National Awareness Programs, and Muluba Habanyama, CANFAR National Youth Ambassador, travelled to Canada’s west coast where they facilitated a digital storytelling workshop at the “Youth Unleashing Power” symposium in Vancouver Island, BC. The aim was reaching out to Canadian youth Roxanne and Muluba connected with over 21 young […]
Raising HIV Awareness Across Canada
As our F17 Budget year winds to an end, I’m particularly impressed by the commitment of the CANFAR team in advancing our mission of raising HIV awareness across Canada. The Canadian Foundation for AIDS Research (CANFAR) is the only national charitable foundation that raises awareness to generate funds for research into all aspects of HIV infection […]
Dispelling Myths Related to HIV
CANFAR is committed to raising awareness and fighting stigma associated with HIV and AIDS. Stigma and misinformation have continuously challenged the HIV and AIDS community since the very first cases in North America reported in the early 1980s. Despite incredible advances in HIV prevention, treatment, and care, those misconceptions remain deeply embedded in our collective […]