Table of Contents
- The Well Project and Positive Women's Network - USA: Joint Statement for NWGHAAD
- Community Reflections on Sisterhood, Hope, and Equity
- Social Media Toolkit
The Well Project and Positive Women's Network - USA: Joint Statement for NWGHAAD
Each year on March 10, US organizations and groups come together for National Women and Girls HIV/AIDS Awareness Day (#NWGHAAD) to show support for women across the gender spectrum living with HIV or with reasons for prevention. But unlike most years, in 2026, the US government has disavowed this awareness day and with it, any commitment to affirm the issues that matter to women and girls. In the vacuum they have left, The Well Project and Positive Women's Network – USA (PWN-USA) – two national organizations focused on HIV and cis and trans women and gender diverse people – have stepped in to lead efforts to honor and uplift this day.
We recognize that NWGHAAD is often when those who are otherwise silent on our concerns feature our voices for a day; and we harness that focus to lift up the issues that matter to us. But at The Well Project and PWN-USA, we don't wait.
Read the full NWGHAAD statement and calls to action by The Well Project and PWN-USA
See below for more about our theme of Sisterhood, Hope, and Equity – and some key messages that we hope will support your NWGHAAD efforts.
Community Reflections on Sisterhood, Hope, and Equity
"In light of National Women and Girls HIV/AIDS Awareness Day, I reflect on what it truly means to me. Sisterhood, hope, and equity look like a strong, interlocking web of support connected through shared struggles, empathy, and lived experience. It lives in laughter, dating advice, and honest conversations about the unorthodox moments of motherhood including the reassurance that you, too, can breastfeed while living with HIV.
This day reminds me of the shoulders I stand on in the fight against HIV such as Waheedah Shabazz-El, Leisha McKinley-Beach, Rae Lewis-Thornton, Tiffany Marrero, Sylvia Hubbard, Ana Puga, Judy Levison, Lealah Pollock, and countless others who ensured our voices were heard when silence was expected. I also honor those who labored behind the scenes to protect the rights of women and future generations, as well as those who endured the pain, silently.
NWGHAAD reminds me that this work is continuous. Hand in hand with my sisters and allies, I remain committed to healthcare justice, autonomy, and equity for all. Onward!" - Alyssa Crawford; She/Her; Florida
"When I think of sisterhood, I think about community and support. It’s a village of women building each other up, holding one another accountable, and filling each other’s cup. Having sisterhood not only gives me hope and reminds me that I’m forever surrounded by pure love, joy, wisdom, integrity, and strength; it’s unity that is remarkable and inspiring. Women uniting for any purpose ignites the motivation to stand, to build, to service, to lead, and to overcome. In short, sisterhood, hope, and equity to me means the power to unite, overcome, and conquer." - Ashley Cason; She/Her; Florida
"Sisterhood, as cis and trans women, means that we need to bring each other up in a world that is hostile toward us, especially women living with HIV. We need to teach younger folks self-respect. Equity is essential – we have to meet people where they are at to ensure their needs are met. We fight for a future with better outcomes for women, and build a path for reproductive rights. A better place for women living with HIV. I have hope that we can live better lives. That we can be free of stigma, where a woman can be open about her status without fear. I want to see the full humanity of people living with HIV be honored. I hope for a world where we are seen beyond our condition. Where we are seen as mothers, grandmothers, sisters, aunts, and daughters. A world where we are free." - Isis Torrente; She/Her; Texas
"On National Women and Girls HIV/AIDS Awareness Day, I stand united in sisterhood with all women living with HIV across the South: cisgender women, transgender women, and every woman whose life and leadership matters. I affirm that our dignity is non-negotiable and our health is a right. I acknowledge the impact of stigma, racism, transmisogyny, poverty, and harmful policies, and I commit to dismantling them. I believe equity requires affirming healthcare, housing, stability, safety, and meaningful investments in our communities. I hold hope in our collective power and shared advocacy. I am committed to a South where women living with HIV are not just surviving but shaping systems and thriving unapologetically." - Janea Hunter; She/Her; Mississippi
"Sisterhood to me means having a community of women coming together to build and support each other’s needs. It’s having the ability to learn from each other’s life experiences in hopes of not making the same mistakes. Equity in sisterhood within healthcare is realizing not all women are the same, nor does our care look the same. Our lives are managed differently depending on our life experiences. We all require different things in different stages of our life. Women, and especially Black women, have historically not been heard or taken serious in this world. We deserve to be treated with dignity and respect. As a sisterhood we need to come together to fight for what we already deserve and know – that none of us are alone. The system was built against us, but I encourage all women to take charge and learn all you can to live your best life. My hope is that as sisterhood grows, communities will become stronger, and the proper resources are provided to all. Silos are no longer working. We must stand together with the support of our counterparts." - Justine Davenport; She/Her; Georgia
"When asked what sisterhood, equity, and hope mean to me, my answer is simple: It means my life is full. Let me explain. As a woman of transgender experience, I’ve rarely been allotted the privilege of equity (fairness, justice, and equality) until I found true hope in sisterhood. I found that sisterhood in women living with HIV in advocacy organizations that I found some time after my diagnosis. The Well Project and Positive Women’s Network - USA are organizations that have a strong sisterhood, and finding this sisterhood saved my life as a woman living with HIV. This sisterhood has provided me with strength when mine was gone, education that I was neglected, and a family that truly loved and accepted me. This sisterhood gave me back the hope that I had long lost —and hope is everything." - Katie Willingham; She/They; Alabama
"On the subject of NWGHAAD, Sisterhood looks like a place of inclusion for all women & girls to be aware HIV and AIDS is still here and on the rise in Black & brown communities. It still doesn’t discriminate. I only wish that when I was 19 the information would have been more clear and prevalent instead of “don’t catch That Thang” or "she or he got that fire." That’s just a tip of the stigma it carries. But today, we have better understanding through science of the medication, peer-led lived experience, and PrEP. We have the opportunity to be informed properly on how it’s contracted. My hope is when you meet a woman of lived experience, allow them the platform to educate at your church, social gatherings, women’s groups, doctor’s office meetings, community meetings, legislative gatherings, and parent meetings so that young girls and women are equipped with the message of awareness & protecting themselves. As the saying goes from Anne Isabella Ritchie in 19th-century England: “If you give a man a fish, he's hungry again in an hour. But if you teach him to catch fish, you do him a good turn." And through this sisterhood I have been done a good turn." - Lizzie Bellamy; She/Her; South Carolina
"Sisterhood, hope, and equity are not just words to me. They are the reason I am still standing and still speaking. As a woman living with HIV, I remember the early days of fear and silence. What changed everything was finding other women who understood, without me having to explain. Sisterhood felt like exhaling for the first time. Hope grew each time I saw women thriving, loving, leading, and refusing to be reduced to a diagnosis. And equity means making sure the path is not so heavy for the women coming behind us. It means access, respect, and real opportunities to lead and be heard. Sisterhood strengthened me. Hope stretched my vision. Equity reminds me why I keep doing this work." - Lynette Trawick; She/Her; Maryland
"Sisterhood to me means we don’t walk alone; hope reminds us that change is always possible; and equity ensures every woman has what she needs to truly thrive. Together, we can create a path toward healing, justice, and collective liberation." - Robin Barkins; She/Her; Louisiana
"'Sisterhood' sees You!, sister in Your fullness, your journey, not your destination…
Sisterhood stands together across lines of all social labels dividing women and girls globally.
She Holds our hands, she Chants! She Cries! She Exclaims! She Declares:
Our collective & individual differences, needs, strengths, and weaknesses will need to be examined thoroughly to better and advance ALL our sisters!
Sisterhood is our lens of observation, that creates equity by striking Invisibility and Neglect faced by us with Lightning! With electricity, storms, thunder, sacred divine feminine rage, Sisterhood, Our lens is a gorilla glue that won’t melt!
It is our Hope!:
What is our hope but not a fierce yet delicate dance?
A battle (cry)!
Sisterhood fights fiercely for equity by prioritizing, caring, and protecting us Sisters in all our hood(s).
Hope is also a lens of observation, an old tool being used with new outlooks, skills, and history that prepare us to advance our needs to the front of the line."
- Xeena Ellison; She/Her; Louisiana
Social Media Toolkit
Below are sample social media posts and images for various platforms. Please feel free to tailor and share these messages – or let them inspire you to craft your own – to show your support for sisterhood, hope, and equity this #NWGHAAD. Keep scrolling past the sample posts for additional content to choose from or include.
Tags:
- Instagram: @thewellprojectHIV @pwn_usa
- Facebook: @thewellproject @pwnusa
- Bluesky: @thewellprojecthiv.bsky.social @pwnusa.bsky.social
- Threads: @thewellprojectHIV
- Tiktok: @thewellprojecthiv @pwn_usa
- LinkedIn: /company/the-well-project /company/pwnusa
Potential Hashtags:
#NWGHAAD #NWGHAAD2026 #SisterhoodHopeEquity #WomenandHIV
Instagram Sample Post/Image
On computer:
- Click thumbnail to open image and right click to "save image as" to save to your computer
On phone:
- Android: Click thumbnail to open image, press down on image and select “download image”
- iPhone: Click thumbnail to open image, press down on image, and select “Save to Photos”
National Women and Girls HIV/AIDS Awareness Day (#NWGHAAD) is on March 10! The Well Project, in partnership with Positive Women’s Network – USA (PWN-USA), is taking a leadership role to honor NWGHAAD, championing the theme “Sisterhood, Hope, and Equity.”
It is especially important to lift up NWGHAAD since the federal government has elected not to acknowledge the day, so please join @thewellprojectHIV and @pwnusa in sharing information and resources around women and HIV. Access the social media toolkit at bit.ly/NWGHAAD2026 and keep an eye out for an upcoming joint statement from The Well Project and PWN-USA, written contributions from women in our community, and additional social media content.
#NWGHAAD #NWGHAAD2026 #SisterhoodHopeEquity #WomenandHIV
Facebook Sample Post/Image
(Note: The image should automatically load if you post using the link below)
National Women and Girls HIV/AIDS Awareness Day (#NWGHAAD) is on March 10! The Well Project and Positive Women’s Network – USA (PWN-USA) are taking the lead to honor NWGHAAD, championing the theme “Sisterhood, Hope, and Equity.”
It is especially important to lift up NWGHAAD since the federal government has elected not to acknowledge the day, so please join @thewellproject and @pwnusa in sharing information and resources around women and HIV. Access the social media toolkit at the link and keep an eye out for an upcoming joint statement from The Well Project and PWN-USA, written contributions from women in our community, and additional social media content.
#NWGHAAD #NWGHAAD2026 #SisterhoodHopeEquity #WomenandHIV
Bluesky Sample Post/Image
(Note: The image should automatically load if you post using the link below)
National Women and Girls HIV/AIDS Awareness Day is on 3/10! @thewellprojecthiv.bsky.social & @pwnusa.bsky.social are honoring #NWGHAAD with the theme “Sisterhood, Hope, and Equity.”
Access a social media toolkit & stay tuned for a joint statement for #NWGHAAD2026 at link bit.ly/NWGHAAD2026
Threads Sample Post/Image
(Note: The image should automatically load if you post using the link below)
National Women and Girls HIV/AIDS Awareness Day is on 3/10! The Well Project (@thewellprojectHIV) & PWN-USA are honoring NWGHAAD with the theme “Sisterhood, Hope, and Equity.”
Access a social media toolkit & stay tuned for a future joint statement for NWGHAAD2026 at link bit.ly/NWGHAAD2026
Threads allows user to add one topic rather than hashtags. Feel free to add NWGHAAD in the Topic area!
LinkedIn Sample Post/Image
(Note: The image should automatically load if you post using the link below)
National Women and Girls HIV/AIDS Awareness Day (#NWGHAAD) is on March 10! The Well Project is partnering with Positive Women’s Network – USA (PWN-USA) to take the lead in honoring NWGHAAD, championing the theme “Sisterhood, Hope, and Equity.”
It is especially important to lift up NWGHAAD since the federal government has elected not to acknowledge the day, so please join @the-well-project and @pwnusa in sharing information and resources around women and HIV. Access the social media toolkit at the link and keep an eye out for an upcoming joint statement from The Well Project and PWN-USA, written contributions from women in our community, and additional social media content.
#NWGHAAD #NWGHAAD2026 #SisterhoodHopeEquity #WomenandHIV
Additional Content
#NWGHAAD in this Moment
- When systems of care and service are under attack, we create our own systems. #WomenandHIV #NWGHAAD2026
- Community matters more than ever when care and service systems are meant oppress. #NWGHAAD2026
- What's one way to face systemic exclusion? By having each other's backs. We are stronger together! #NWGHAAD2026
About The Well Project and PWN-USA
- We are stronger together! As two leading national organizations focused on HIV and trans and cis women, gender diverse, and transgender people, The Well Project and Positive Women's Network – USA (PWN-USA) have a long history of collaboration and sisterhood. Given that the federal government has elected not to acknowledge NWGHAAD this year, a partnership between The Well Project and PWN-USA is a natural fit to fill the gap.
Women and HIV
- Women and girls represent more than half of the nearly 41 million people living with HIV across the globe. Further, it is estimated that the global proportion of transgender women living with HIV is 66 times higher than in the general adult population. #WomenandHIV
- Black women, Latinas, and Indigenous women bear the highest burden of HIV among women in the US. At last count, almost one in five new HIV diagnoses were in women. Most of these women were Black or Latina, even though Black and brown women account for less than a third of the US female population. #WomenandHIV
- For many women, an HIV diagnosis is only one challenge on a long list: violence, trauma, racism, poverty, caregiver stress, lack of female-controlled prevention methods, limited participation in clinical trials, and other gender-based inequalities. #WomenandHIV
- Structural determinants of health such as poverty, racism, and gender inequality not only increase women's vulnerability to HIV, but also negatively impact the health of women living with HIV once diagnosed. #WomenandHIV
- In the US and around the world, women have been innovators and changemakers in the HIV community and intersecting movements since the earliest days of the pandemic. #WomenandHIV
