Yuan Wenli, originally from Henan province, an area ravaged by HIV/AIDS, started Henan Golden Sunshine in 2005, after her son was infected with HIV. The organization aims to help women and children living with HIV/AIDS and to incorporate women’s voices in advocacy in China. Subsequently Yuan helped establish the Henan Regional Network of Women Living with HIV/AIDS in 2010 and in 2012 became the secretary
of Women’s Network Against AIDS in China. Yuan will be coming to the International AIDS Conference, AIDS 2012, in Washington this July on a full scholarship, and will present her own talk Mainstreaming Gender into The National Global Fund Strategy in China: A Case Study from a Grassroots Women’s NGO Network on Thursday July 26th in English.
Yuan spoke to Asia Catalyst about her own work and what she is most looking forward to at AIDS 2012 this year.
请向我们介绍一下你的工作？
Please tell us about your work.
2005 年，我成立了自己的草根组－－河南金色阳光。这是一个扎根于基层的机构，由艾滋病感染者、儿童感染者家长等组成，主要宗旨是帮助女性感染者和儿童感染者。我是组织的发起人，承担主要领导责任。
In 2005, I established my own grassroots organization–Henan Golden Sunshine.
It is a frontline organization of people living with HIV/AIDS and the families of
children living with HIV/AIDS. Our mission is to
help women and children living with HIV/AIDS. I am the founder and the
executive director.
2010年我和几个人共同发起了河南女性抗艾社区组织网络。主要是想把河南地区的女性感染者组织联系起来，建立一个交流的平台。河南的感染者主要是因为输血和卖血，大部分来自农村，这些相似背景和诉求使得我们比较容易团结在一起做倡导。到今年4月以前，我一直担任河南女性抗艾社区组织网络的秘书长。
In 2010, I worked with other colleagues to establish the Henan Regional Network of Women Living with HIV/AIDS. Our aim was to bring together women’s organizations in Henan and build a platform for communication between those groups. In Henan, many people with HIV contracted the virus though blood selling or hospital blood transfusions and most of them come from rural villages. Because we share similar backgrounds and face similar problems, it’s easier for us to unite and work together on advocacy. Up until April 2012, I was the secretary of that network.
今年4月，我被选为中国女性抗艾网络的秘书长。这个网络成立于2009年，成员机构来自全国各地，工作的领域也更加宽泛，有吸毒感染者的组织，阳性性工作者的组织等等。我们的工作重点是倡导和反歧视。
In April 2012, I was elected the secretary of Women’s Network Against AIDS in China. This network was established back in 2009 from a organizations around the country, and their focuses are also very diverse and include drug user organizations and HIV-positive sex worker organizations and many others. Our work is focused mainly on advocacy and anti-discrimination.
为什么要参加世界艾滋病大会？
Why do you want to attend AIDS 2012?
1、我希望让更多人了解中国女性组织的工作。其实中国的女性做了很多工作，但可能因为语言障碍和缺少机会，很少人能够了解。
1. I want to show a broad group of people the work of women’s organizations in
China. In fact, women have done a lot of work in China, but because of the
language barrier and lack of opportunities very few people know about the work.
2、我希望趁这个机会和国外的活动家接触，学习国外的工作经，这样对我们未来的工作能够有所促进。
2. I want to take this opportunity to communicate with activists
outside of China, and to learn from their experiences. This will help with our
work in the future.
3、参加会议也能够帮我们建立和国外的联系。把国内好的实践介绍到国外，把国际的经验介绍给国内的组织同时也带动中国女性参与国际事务。
3. AIDS 2012 will also help us to establish contact with the outside world. We will introduce China’s best practices to other counties and bring international experience back to organizations in China, and in this way, mobilize women to participate in international affairs.
