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| SisterLove | |
|---|---|
| Name | SisterLove |
| Formation | 1989 |
| Type | Nonprofit organization |
| Headquarters | Atlanta, Georgia |
| Founder | HIV-positive women activists |
| Area served | United States, Southern Africa |
| Focus | HIV/AIDS prevention, reproductive health, women's rights |
SisterLove is a nonprofit organization founded in 1989 focused on HIV/AIDS prevention, reproductive health, and advocacy for women and families, particularly in the American South and Southern Africa. The organization grew from grassroots activism among HIV-positive women into a multi-program entity that engages in direct service, community education, policy advocacy, and international collaboration. SisterLove works at the intersection of public health, human rights, and social justice with programs that address HIV prevention, maternal health, gender-based violence, and access to sexual and reproductive healthcare.
SisterLove's roots trace to AIDS activism in the late 1980s, emerging alongside movements led by figures and organizations such as ACT UP, AIDS Coalition to Unleash Power, National Black Leadership Commission on AIDS, and community responses in cities like Atlanta, Georgia and New York City. Early influences included advocacy efforts by activists connected to Anita Hill hearings-era feminist organizing and networks formed through conferences like the National Conference on Health Communication, Marketing and Media. The founders—women living with HIV and allied clinicians and educators—drew on models from groups including Black Women's Health Imperative, Gay Men's Health Crisis, and Planned Parenthood to create culturally specific interventions. Throughout the 1990s, SisterLove expanded programs during key public health moments such as the rollout of antiretroviral therapies influenced by research at institutions like National Institutes of Health and activism surrounding the Ryan White CARE Act. International engagement began with partnerships in Southern Africa amid the regional HIV epidemics documented by agencies like the World Health Organization and UNAIDS.
SisterLove's mission emphasizes prevention, support, and advocacy for women, families, and communities affected by HIV and reproductive health disparities. Core programs have included peer-led HIV counseling and testing aligned with Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines, prevention of mother-to-child transmission initiatives modeled on protocols from PEPFAR programs, and maternal health interventions adapted from clinical practices at Emory University School of Medicine and community health centers. Education curricula incorporate strategies endorsed by UNICEF and World Health Organization for infant feeding and PMTCT (prevention of mother-to-child transmission). SisterLove also implements gender-based violence prevention and support services reflecting frameworks used by United Nations Women and Family Violence Prevention Fund. Community mobilization campaigns have used partnerships with arts and cultural institutions such as National Black Arts Festival and collaborations with faith-based networks in the African Methodist Episcopal Church and other congregations to reach underserved populations. Training modules for health workers draw on continuing education standards from organizations like Association of Nurses in AIDS Care.
Leadership has included founders and executive directors with experience in public health, activism, and nonprofit management connected to academic and advocacy institutions. Boards have featured professionals linked to Morehouse School of Medicine, Emory University, and statewide public health departments such as the Georgia Department of Public Health. Program staff frequently collaborate with clinicians and researchers from centers like Rollins School of Public Health and community organizers with ties to networks such as SisterSong and National Domestic Violence Hotline. Organizational structure integrates program directors overseeing HIV services, maternal health, international work in countries like South Africa, Botswana, and Lesotho, and development officers managing relationships with funders such as The Elton John AIDS Foundation and foundations connected to Ford Foundation-type philanthropy.
SisterLove's funding portfolio includes government grants, foundation support, and private donors. Notable funding sources and partners have included federal initiatives like President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), state-level public health grants administered through entities such as the Georgia Department of Public Health, and philanthropic support from foundations that fund sexual and reproductive health initiatives. Collaborations span research partnerships with university labs at Emory University and programmatic alliances with international agencies such as USAID and UNAIDS. SisterLove has also worked with community organizations including Black Women's Health Imperative, SisterSong reproductive justice network, faith-based coalitions, and arts organizations to implement outreach campaigns and service delivery models.
SisterLove's impact includes community-level reductions in stigma, expanded access to HIV testing and maternal health services, and contributions to policy dialogues on reproductive justice and HIV prevention in the southern United States and partner countries in Southern Africa. The organization has been recognized in public health forums and has received commendations from local government officials and partnerships with academic researchers who publish findings in journals associated with institutions like Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and Emory University. Programmatic outcomes have informed regional strategies on PMTCT adopted in clinics linked to networks such as AIDS Healthcare Foundation and have fed into advocacy campaigns aligned with UNAIDS targets. SisterLove's community-based model continues to be cited in discussions led by public health agencies, academic centers, faith networks, and civil society organizations addressing HIV, maternal health, and racial and gender equity.
Category:Non-profit organizations based in the United States Category:HIV/AIDS organizations Category:Women's health