Project Description: In fall 2007, the Leitner Clinic partnered with the Coalition of Women Living with HIV/AIDS in Malawi (COWLHA) to design and facilitate human rights workshops for 200 HIV-positive women. The workshops were interactive and participatory and covered topics such as human rights standards related to HIV/AIDS, reproductive rights, advocacy methods, and treatment and legal literacy. The Leitner team consisted of Fordham Law students Maria Kuriakose (’08) and Felice Segura (’08) and was supervised by Prof. Chi Mgbako.

Partner Organization: The Coalition of Women Living with HIV/AIDS (COWLHA) is the first and only organization in Malawi whose leadership and membership are HIV-positive women and girls working to promote and defend their rights. From its initial membership of just 56 HIV-positive women in 2006, the organization now boasts more than 50,000 members who have come out in the open about their HIV-positive status. These women are in a better position to gain access to HIV testing and counseling, anti-retroviral clinics, prevention of mother-to-child transmission (PMTCT) clinics, and nutritional support. In 2008 COWLHA was awarded the United Nations Red Ribbon Award.

Description of Fieldwork: In November 2007, the Leitner Clinic traveled to Malawi to conduct HIV/AIDS and human rights training workshops in four districts (Blantyre, Mchinji, Salima, and Nkhata Bay) for 200 HIV-positive women. Consciousness-raising activities help women living with HIV/AIDS understand that the abuses they face because of their HIV status are violations of their human rights. The substantive human rights content and awareness-raising activities in the workshops provided participants with tools to act as advocates for their rights in their communities.

Project Outcome: The Leitner Clinic produced “HIV/AIDS and Human Rights: A Training Manual.” The training manual is divided into a series of modules: 1) International Human Rights; 2) Stigma and Discrimination; 3) Sexual and Reproductive Health; 4)Treatment Literacy; 5)Disclosure; and 6) Advocacy Training. Although the Leitner Clinic created the manual to meet the needs of Malawian women, the trainings can be adapted to other environments targeting local women. Copies of the Leitner Clinic’s manual were distributed to the leadership of COWLHA for future use in training sessions with HIV-positive women.