Wales HIV Advocacy Newtork

To join the Wales HIV Advocacy Network please email advocacy@hiv.wales

What is the Wales Advocacy Network?

Due to a lack of HIV-focussed community groups and peer support in Wales there is currently nowhere for people who are concerned about HIV to get actively involved. WHAM aims to change that by creating an advocacy alliance including interested Welsh community groups and people with HIV (PLHIV) that will:

• Increase community understanding of HIV and sexual health in Wales, prioritising key communities at risk
• Advocate for and create national community-led prevention and testing campaigns for Wales, helping people to spread the word about PrEP, U=U and other modern HIV information
• Support people in negotiating and participating in local structures to improve their HIV and sexual health services, including the Fast Track Cities network
• Ensure community groups and people with HIV have a say in the forthcoming Welsh Government HIV Action Plan and its implementation
• Increase PLHIV and key communities’ input into HIV services and campaigns in Wales.

The project is funded for two years including a part time post working alongside members of our volunteer Steering Group to create the advocacy alliance and to work with other interested parties towards achieving the national target of zero new transmissions by 2030. Tasks will include:

• Creating training opportunities and packages for interested Welsh community groups including those concerned with ethnicity, age, gender, sexuality and faith
• Creating information and advocacy materials and events about HIV, the 2030 target and the role of Fast Track Cities
• Supporting the creation and implementation of the Welsh HIV Action Plan by ensuring the inclusion of voices of people with HIV and affected communities
• Working to support the creation and sustainability of Fast Track Cities in Wales that include community input
• Coordinating Wales HIV Testing Week and other key events
• Representing FTC&V in appropriate discussions with the Government and Health Boards in order to prioritise work on HIV and Fast Track Cities
• Liaising with politicians in Cardiff and Westminster to ensure support across the board for this work

Funding