Every year on March 10 — and throughout the month of March — local, state, federal, and national organizations come together to shed light on the impact of HIV and AIDS on women and girls and show support for those at risk of and living with HIV. This year marks the 16th annual observance of National Women and Girls HIV/AIDS Awareness Day (NWGHAAD).

We've made tremendous progress against HIV and AIDS in the U.S., but women remain vulnerable to infection — especially BIPOC women. However, HIV transmission is possible for any woman-identified person, regardless of race, ethnicity, age, or sexual orientation. Today, nearly 1 million people in the U.S. are diagnosed with HIV, and nearly 1 in 4 of them are women.

Did you know that 1 in 9 women with HIV are unaware they are living with HIV? People who do not know they have HIV cannot take advantage of HIV care and treatment and may unknowingly transmit HIV to others. However, by getting care started, we are not only able to ensure those living with HIV continue to lead normal, healthy, fulfilling lives, we can also prevent further transmission. Often referred to as Undetectable = Unstrasmittable (U=U), maintaining an undetectable status is a key tool in ending stigma and advancing the fight against HIV transmission.

The difficulties in treatment and prevention often arise because some women may be unaware of their male partner’s risk factors for HIV (such as injection drug use or having sex with men), they may not use protection (like condoms or medicine to prevent HIV). In a behavioral survey of heterosexual women at increased risk for HIV, 93% of HIV-negative women reported having vaginal sex without a condom in the previous year, and 26% reported having anal sex without a condom. In general, receptive sex is riskier than insertive sex. This means that women have a higher risk for getting HIV during vaginal or anal sex than their sex partners.

With that in mind, we wanted to share a powerful story of past CAP client and board member Jennifer Jako. Jennifer Jako is an activist, mother, media creator, maker and designer. She created the documentary film Blood Lines/It Could be You, which is used around the world to educate youth about HIV/AIDS. On the following episode of Grief, Gratitude, & Greatness, Jennifer discusses what it is like to be a long-term survivor of HIV and how she continues to advocate for prevention, empowering and informing the community about the virus that has killed many of her peers. She also speaks about her experience living with HIV, how she became a mother despite her diagnosis, and how the fight against HIV/AIDS continues.

This podcast episode was created and distributed by Grief, Gratitude, & Greatness and they retain all rights to this content.

About Cascade AIDS Project

CAP is a non-profit organization that was founded in 1985 as a grassroots response to the AIDS crisis. As the oldest and largest community-based HIV services provider in Oregon and southwest Washington, we seek to support and empower all people with or affected by HIV, reduce stigma, and provide the LGBTQ+ community with compassionate healthcare. We do so by helping to ensure the health and well-being of our program participants each year through health, housing, and other social services. When the need for affordable, accessible, and culturally affirming primary care services was identified as a community need, we responded by opening Prism Health in 2017. More information can be found at www.capnw.org.