Together, we are building a future where Indigenous women and girls living with HIV are recognized as leaders, knowledge holders,

and agents of change in the fight for health equity and human rights.

Our Vision

We envision a world where Indigenous women and girls living with HIV fully exercise their sexual and reproductive health rights with dignity, free from stigma, discrimination, and systemic barriers. Our goal is to empower communities by creating space for Indigenous leadership, knowledge, and lived experience to shape health policy, services, and research on a global scale.

Who We Are

 

The Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights (SRHR) Project for Indigenous Women Living with HIV is a global, community-led research initiative spanning seven countries: Canada, Guatemala, India, Nepal, New Zealand, Nigeria, and Peru.

We are a diverse network of Indigenous women, Elders, community leaders, researchers, and health professionals working together to advance equity, justice, and the rights of Indigenous women and girls living with HIV. Our project is guided by the principles of respect, reciprocity, cultural safety, and Indigenous knowledge systems, ensuring that our work is firmly rooted in the voices and experiences of the communities we serve.

What We Do

 

          Through this multi-year, international collaboration, we:

  • Conduct community-based research to document the realities, priorities, and needs of Indigenous women living with HIV.
  • Develop knowledge-sharing toolkits to guide culturally grounded and rights-based health interventions.
  • Support capacity-building among Indigenous women and community leaders through training, mentorship, and collaborative learning.
  • Influence policy and health systems by amplifying Indigenous women’s voices in global forums, conferences, and advocacy spaces.
  • Create platforms for storytelling and healing, recognizing resilience as a vital force in confronting HIV-related challenges.

Our Journey

 

The project is funded by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR). The project began in 2021 and is currently hosted at the Research Institute of the McGill University Health Centre (RI-MUHC) in Montreal, Canada, following its transition from the Community, Alliances & Networks (CAAN). Since then, our international teams have carried out scoping reviews, focus group discussions, interviews, surveys, and community engagement activities to build a strong foundation of evidence.

By 2025, the project has entered a new phase focused on data analysis, process evaluation, knowledge translation, and the development of a global toolkit to support Indigenous women’s SRHR worldwide.