When I was a little girl, I dreamed of becoming rich and famous so that I could single-handedly save the world.  At the top of my “world that needs saving” list was a little Caribbean country called Haiti—“the poorest country in the world”, as I had been told.  I am no longer a little girl, and instead of being rich and famous, I work in the humble HIV prevention field.  While I no longer believe it’s a one-woman gig, Haiti is still near the top of my “world that needs saving” list.  Haiti has the highest HIV infection rates in the Caribbean and is second only to the worst affected sub-Saharan African countries on a world scale.  The January 12th earthquake is being called one of the most devastating natural disasters in human history, and we are all bombarded with news and images.  In hopes of blogging something original, I have tried to focus my attention on how the HIV/AIDS community is responding to the quake.

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I’ve been reminded recently that grief is a huge thing. That might sound strange, working in the field I do, where grief can be an ongoing presence and often is. HIV diagnosis can prompt grief for any number of reasons- an abrupt change in expectations and hopes, recognition of multiple losses in relationships and health. Of course death brings with it many emotions, and often grief is at the forefront. Grief is an inevitable part of life, and a particularly inevitable part of being in the HIV community. Before the dramatic changes in life expectancy that HIV treatments brought to the industrialized world, deaths were far more common and frequent. Grieving was woven into the HIV community by necessity.

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I want to like Obama as much as the next progressive-minded person, but it seems to me he’s dropped the ball big time on some pretty key campaign promises—troops out of Afghanistan and healthcare reform including reduced cost, improved quality and full access.  So, it was a pleasant surprise this holiday season when Mr. President delivered two nice big packages to the AIDS service movement.  While these two major changes directly affect US law, they both have a significant effect for people living with HIV worldwide, as well as for international prevention efforts.

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One of our favourite online information sources is The Body – The Complete HIV/AIDS Resource.  They have an excellent high-traffic Ask the Experts forum where twelve HIV specialists (many of them doctors) answer the public’s questions.  A recent thread got me thinking about the notion of risk.  Dr. Robert Frascino (Dr. Bob) calls it the QTND – question that never dies – what’s the risk of getting or passing on HIV by giving or receiving oral sex?  “Sometimes I wish there were a universal factsheet” writes Confused London Boy, “[…] saying when and in what situation a condom should be used”.  “Where is the line?”

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Many years ago I read an essay about women in Vietnam working to rebuild connections and communities after the Americans pulled out. Someone criticized their efforts, saying they were as useless as water. But the women responded that water is a great force: just look what it can to do stone over time. I may not have the quote perfectly cited, but it captures the idea that has stuck with me all these year. I believe in the power of every woman. Even what looks like the smallest gesture is connected to other gestures and actions, and has the capacity to make great change.

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