By Ranjita Biswas

Bali, Aug 13 (IBNS) Empowerment of women, whether for effective social change or to fight against HIV/AIDS, has been well-recognized for sometime now. What is interesting is how new ways and methods are being employed through innovation.

At the oral session “Empowering Women” at the ICAAP9 in Bali activists working with women who are with Positive demonstrated through their projects how arts and creativity can also form a core of these programs to empower Positive women. Sharon Cheney of Australia, for example, has done an audio project where women through their songs, through their poetry have told their own stories and sharing them with others.

In India, in the southern state of Tamil Nadu, a health insurance project in collaboration with a nationalized bank has seen enthusiastic participation of PLHIV women . Private banks look for higher deposits, while private insurance companies put too many constraints on the women who are not well-to-do enough to contribute much. So this partnership project looks at their saving capability while contributing an equal share to ensure the women’s future health needs who feel vulnerable; they are also happy that they can ensure their children’s future as they can make them their ‘nominees’ in case of their demise.

There is even a ‘writing project’ as Shanti of Indonesia revealed. Positive women are encouraged to write their own stories. Facilitated by some famous writers of Indonesia, their stories have now been compiled into a book and sold widely in bookshops. Perhaps their stories would be translated one day, Shanti hoped, so that a wider readership can have an access to them.

These initiatives also show how many avenues activists at grassroots are exploring today to strengthen the multi-pronged campaign against HIV/AIDS.