Gender, Reproductive Health, HIV and AIDS

Who we are and what sort of life we lead is largely shaped by whether we are male or female; throughout the world, the burden of earning a living largely falls on men, and the burden of taking care of the home and family and reproductive matters mostly falls on women. Meanwhile, women's low status may contribute to men's (and often women's) perception that it is acceptable to use violence against women.

Programs to improve these vulnerabilities need to address gender inequalities and men´s role in changing the imbalances.

Reproductive health issues and choices face us throughout our lives. Unfortunately, most people around the world are ill equipped to make sound decisions, lacking confidence, information, and sometimes the right to protect themselves and their sexual partners. As a result, the various changes and partnerships that people experience through their lives are often full of conflict, fear, discomfort, disease, and even death.

Gender differences and difficulties addressing reproductive health issues increase people's vulnerability to HIV/AIDS, yet many programs fail to address the overall life issues in which people's HIV-related risks occur.

HealthBridge works in partnership with local NGOs and governments to increase male's involvement in promoting gender equality; people's knowledge, comfort, and confidence in addressing major events in the reproductive life cycle; and creating an enabling environment that allows vulnerable people protect themselves and others from HIV/AIDS.

Our areas of focus include:

• Increasing men´s (and women´s) positive perceptions of what it means to be male, thereby encouraging men to assume a more positive role in family and society and achieve more equality with women;
• Increasing the knowledge and positive attitudes of people of both sexes and all ages towards major events of the reproductive life cycle, to better prepare people to deal with changes and maintain a healthy sexuality;
• Working with project partners to create a policy environment that protects vulnerable people from HIV/AIDS;

HealthBridge is a long-standing member of ICAD (the Interagency Coalition on AIDS and Development), a network of Canadian international development and AIDS service organizations and individuals. This network works to slow the spread of HIV/AIDS and lessen its impact in resource-poor communities and countries.