Beatrice Were
Encyclopedia
Beatrice Were is a Uganda
n AIDS
activist. She discovered that she was HIV-positive in 1991, a month after her husband died of AIDS.
NACWOLA to unite Ugandan women living with HIV and to improve the quality of their lives. She has served as national coordinator of NACWOLA, and as the Executive Coordinator of the International Community of Women Living with HIV/AIDS, Uganda. She is currently National Coordinator for HIV/AIDS for ActionAid
Uganda.
and endangering lives. Her speech at the XVI International AIDS Conference
in Toronto
, in which she attacked the "ABC" approach to HIV prevention, won her a standing ovation
.http://www.kaisernetwork.org/health_cast/hcast_index.cfm?display=detail&hc=1811
.
Uganda
Uganda , officially the Republic of Uganda, is a landlocked country in East Africa. Uganda is also known as the "Pearl of Africa". It is bordered on the east by Kenya, on the north by South Sudan, on the west by the Democratic Republic of the Congo, on the southwest by Rwanda, and on the south by...
n AIDS
AIDS
Acquired immune deficiency syndrome or acquired immunodeficiency syndrome is a disease of the human immune system caused by the human immunodeficiency virus...
activist. She discovered that she was HIV-positive in 1991, a month after her husband died of AIDS.
Her work
In 1993, Beatrice Were co-founded the non-governmental organizationNon-governmental organization
A non-governmental organization is a legally constituted organization created by natural or legal persons that operates independently from any government. The term originated from the United Nations , and is normally used to refer to organizations that do not form part of the government and are...
NACWOLA to unite Ugandan women living with HIV and to improve the quality of their lives. She has served as national coordinator of NACWOLA, and as the Executive Coordinator of the International Community of Women Living with HIV/AIDS, Uganda. She is currently National Coordinator for HIV/AIDS for ActionAid
ActionAid
ActionAid was founded in 1972 as a child sponsorship charity when 88 UK supporters sponsored 88 children in India and Kenya, the focus primarily being to provide children with an education. Global accounts are now reported in Euros and in 2007 and 2008 turnover was close to 180m Euros...
Uganda.
Activism
One of Africa's highest profile AIDS activists, Beatrice Were has become known for her strongly worded criticism of U.S. global AIDS policy. She accuses the American government of distorting HIV prevention programs in Africa in favor of an ineffective abstinence-only approach, and thus increasing stigmaSocial stigma
Social stigma is the severe disapproval of or discontent with a person on the grounds of characteristics that distinguish them from other members of a society.Almost all stigma is based on a person differing from social or cultural norms...
and endangering lives. Her speech at the XVI International AIDS Conference
XVI International AIDS Conference, 2006
The XVI International AIDS Conference was held in Toronto, Ontario, during the week of August 13-18 2006. This was the third time that Canada has hosted the International AIDS Conference, after Montreal in 1989 and Vancouver in 1996. The main venue for the conference was the Metro Toronto...
in Toronto
Toronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
, in which she attacked the "ABC" approach to HIV prevention, won her a standing ovation
Standing ovation
A standing ovation is a form of applause where members of a seated audience stand up while applauding after extraordinary performances of particularly high acclaim...
.http://www.kaisernetwork.org/health_cast/hcast_index.cfm?display=detail&hc=1811
Awards
Were was awarded InterAction Humanitarian Award in 2003. She has also won the Human Rights Defender Award, the highest honor bestowed by Human Rights WatchHuman Rights Watch
Human Rights Watch is an international non-governmental organization that conducts research and advocacy on human rights. Its headquarters are in New York City and it has offices in Berlin, Beirut, Brussels, Chicago, Geneva, Johannesburg, London, Los Angeles, Moscow, Paris, San Francisco, Tokyo,...
.