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Introduction & History

>> The International Community of Women living with HIV/AIDS (ICW) is the only International network run for and by women living with HIV positive.

>> ICW was founded in response to the desperate lack of support, information and services available to women living with HIV around the world and the need for them to have influence and input in policy development. ICW was formed by a group of HIV positive women from different countries that were attending the 8th International Conference of AIDS held in Amsterdam in July 1992. These HIV positive women shared their stories and strategies with the aim of coping and came up with action plans for the future.

>> Drawing up “The Twelve Amendments” in the ICW pre-conference was a great achievement. They are related to issues and needs of women living with HIV which they have to struggle with throughout the world. The Twelve Amendments have formed the basis of our organization’s philosophy. During that meeting these women agreed that they would be protagonists. They did not want to mediate between needs and resources or in making political decisions that directly affect them. At that moment ICW (International Community of Women living with AIDS) was created.