WISE-UP+ stands for Women Inspire Support and Empower to Unleash Positive Potential. It is a structured series of workshops designed and led by women living with HIV with the aim of building a dynamic community of women HIV advocates.
The 2024 WISE-UP+ workshop on HIV and bone health was designed and led by women living with HIV and allies with the following aims:
● to improve knowledge about bone health for women ageing with HIV;
● to develop a booklet by and for women living with HIV on bone health and ageing with HIV;
● to improve understanding of the history of HIV-related women’s activism;
● to build an advocacy agenda for improving the rights and health of women living with HIV.
The workshop was held at the wonderful Riverhouse Trust in Hammersmith over the weekend of March 16–17. Seventeen women participated.
A report of the workshop, with details of topics included, priorities identified to improve bone health for women living with HIV and next steps, is available here. It was launched in a webinar held on 10th June 2025 bringing together women living with HIV, researchers, service providers and others with an interest in bone health.
As part of the workshop, Bakita Kasadha facilitated creative activities exploring resilience and the importance of telling our story and for our stories to be heard, especially women living with HIV. Women wrote group and individual poems using the theme ‘words for a woman’. The aim was to create group messages centring women living with HIV, to capture a range of hopes, choices and experiences.
Sophia Forum is delighted to launch a book of poetry from this workshop, beautifully designed by Jane Shepherd.