Through a history of engaging with immigrant and refugee communities, SERC has learned how certain notions about HIV, sex and sexuality, gender, and sexual orientation relate to the way racialized migrants are positioned in Canadian society, including their resettlement experiences and their economic options and opportunities.
The KiA project provides prevention and support interventions, builds capacity, increases knowledge, and reduces risks around HIV/STIs among African newcomers. SERC staff work with community leaders to improve their capacity to discuss sexually transmitted and blood-borne infection (STBBI) and related prevention efforts. Community leaders work within the project to reduce the intersectional stigma that contributes to an increased vulnerability in the transmission of STBBIs.
Community members were integral in the design and implementation of the project. The success of our project relies heavily on collaboration with local ethnocultural or community organizations, including community leaders, community resource people, and service providers. Our sessions are delivered either in the group’s first language or in English with interpretation. Careful attention is taken to respond to ongoing community needs, ensuring activities are held at times that are convenient to community members, including weekends and evenings, and responsive to community events such as weddings, funerals, and religious celebrations.
African Immigrant Women Living With HIV – Community-Based Research Project Report (2016)
Please click here to view Promising Practices – a video made by Pathways to Prosperity Canada about the KiA program.