At Black
CAP we know that contracting HIV does not mean that your life is going to end.
Many of the clients, staff and volunteers involved in Black CAP have been
living with HIV and AIDS for many, many years. These days most people living
with HIV/AIDS can stay healthy for a long period of time when taking
appropriate treatment and medication, in most cases we’re talking decades, not
months or years. The best way to live a long and healthy life with HIV is to
seek support and find information. The reality is that the best defense against
HIV requires three things, community support, information and good healthcare
and treatment.
We totally recognize that finding out that you are HIV positive can be both stressful and overwhelming. Many people feel that it is the end of their life, many of us at Black CAP would say that it is the beginning of a new life though. Finding the appropriate support systems in a good friend, a Black CAP counselor, a doctor or a family member in whom you personally feel you can rely on, is a good way to start and a good way to live with HIV.
We totally recognize that finding out that you are HIV positive can be both stressful and overwhelming. Many people feel that it is the end of their life, many of us at Black CAP would say that it is the beginning of a new life though. Finding the appropriate support systems in a good friend, a Black CAP counselor, a doctor or a family member in whom you personally feel you can rely on, is a good way to start and a good way to live with HIV.
To date,
the majority of HIV/AIDS prevention projects targeting Black communities in
Toronto have focused on those who are not yet infected. The prevention programs
delivered by groups such as Black CAP, ACCHO and APAA have yet to specifically
identify or promote the ways that people living with HIV or AIDS (PHAs) can
reduce and identify risk. Also with more successful HIV treatments our clients
are living longer and healthier lives, our prevention activities must recognize
this shift. AIDS mortality is reducing and people are living longer and are
more likely to seek healthy, active and pleasurable sex lives and meaningful
relationships.
Black CAP
is an organization that works to reduce HIV/AIDS in Toronto’s Black, African
and Caribbean communities and enhance the quality of life of Black people
living with or affected by HIV/AIDS. HIV/AIDS is spreading quickly in Toronto’s
Black communities and we believe that our work is more important than ever. At
this time, Black, African and Caribbean people account for more than one-fifth
of all new HIV infections in Toronto, in the early nineties we made up only
one-tenth of new HIV infections. Issues of HIV related stigma and
discrimination, homophobia, anti-Black racism, immigration, poverty, and
barriers to social inclusion also continue to make our work harder.
The Black Coalition for AIDS Prevention
20 Victoria St. 4th floor
Toronto, Ontario M5C 2N8
Main: (416) 977 - 9955
Fax: (416) 977 - 7664
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