National Women and Girls HIV/AIDS Awareness Day (NWGHAAD)

USING NEW MEDIA TO REACH WOMEN AND GIRLS

National Women and Girls HIV/AIDS Awareness Day

(NWGHAAD)

March 10th

What is National Women and Girls HIV/AIDS Awareness Day?

National Women and Girls HIV/AIDS Awareness Day is a day to “Share Knowledge. Take Action.”

The nationwide observance held each March 10 sheds light on the disease’s often overlooked impact on women and girls and empowers people to make a difference.

Every year on this important day, thousands of people, advocacy organizations, and local and state public health officials share the facts about HIV/AIDS and how it affects women and girls. They also take action in a variety of ways, such as:

Telling women and girls how to prevent HIV/AIDS

Getting more of them to get tested

Providing services to those living with the disease

Doing whatever it takes to reduce the impact of HIV/AIDS

You can help, too! Together, we can educate others, change behaviors, and help shape the future for women and girls.

Find out what you can do!

Read the OWH Director’s Dear Colleague letter (PDF, 192 KB).

The goal of this annual observance day is to encourage people across the country to Take Action to address HIV/AIDS and raise awareness of its impact on women and girls.

This year’s theme is “Share Knowledge. Take Action.” Sharing stories, photos, and resources using new media are among the ways you can take action on this important day.

Why is this day important?

As the HIV epidemic in the United States has changed over the last 30 years, women represent a larger share of new HIV infections. In 2011, women and adolescent girls (aged 13 and older) accounted for 21% of the estimated new diagnoses of HIV. While African American women continue to be disproportionately impacted, in December 2012 the CDC reported that new HIV infections among African American women were declining for the first time in over a decade.

Why use new and social media to reach women and girls?

According to Pew Research Center’s Internet & American Life Project, the typical users of social media are urban women under thirty years of age. Seventy one percent of women who use the internet use social networking sites, compared with 61% of men. Contributing to that trend are women’s disproportionately high use of Pinterest, Facebook, and Instagram.

For example, women are approximately five times more likely than men to be on Pinterest , the largest difference in gender of any site featured in the Pew report. When it comes to blogging, there are 3,236 health blogs in the BlogHer Network , the largest community of women who blog.

How is the HIV community using new media to reach women and girls?

A Girl Like Me: The Well Project created the “A Girl Like Me” blog where women and girls share stories of how HIV impacts their lives. It is an online space where women from around the world can share stories that inspire and provide comfort to women who may feel they are alone living with HIV. Many of the contributors also include photos and videos with their stories.

How can you get involved with NWGHAAD?

Attend an event in your community. Use the NWGHAAD calendar of events to find an event near you.

Follow the AIDS.gov NWGHAAD board on Pinterest (just released today!)

Find HIV testing and other services for yourself and/or those you care about.

Watch and share this video that features women all over the country sharing how they are Facing AIDS.

Girlup – Facebook

Red Pump Project: For the fifth year in a row, the “Rock the Red Pump” Campaign is encouraging bloggers to add the “Rock the Red Pump” widget on their blogs and to dedicate a blog post on March 10th to the topic of HIV among women and girls. The Red Pump Project also has a photo-sharing campaign where women can upload pictures on new media sites of themselves wearing their favorite pair of red shoes.

People who upload photos are encouraged to use the hashtag #RocktheRedPump .