Maria Jose Vasquez International Community of Women Living with HIV & AIDS Barcelona, Spain Global Community Worker among HIV Positive Women

MariJo has been a women’s rights activist since she tested positive for HIV in 1995. Since 1999, she has been involved with the International Community of Women Living With HIV & AIDS (ICW). The only global network run for and by HIV positive women, “ICW helps us see that it is possible to do things on our own, following our rhythm, exploring our needs. Through ICW’s work, many HIV positive women learned they’re not alone, and about their own capacities and strengths.” Also a founding member of Creacion Positiva and the ATHENA network, MariJo uses storytelling in advocacy because folk stories are incredibly useful tools in training on gender issues. According to MariJo, “being an activist is not something I decided. It is something that became part of me when I started to learn more about myself, when I realized that my life was connected to those of other people, other women.“