by Anne Mugo On the 9th of August 2022, Kenyans went to the polls in perhaps what could be described as our most peaceful, progressive, transparent and mundane general elections yet. Our elections are often complicated, laced with ethnic undertones, sporadic incidences of violence, chaos, voter bribery and rigging and all the other things that … Continue reading Gender Waves in the 2022 General Election: the slow but steady rise of women in Kenya’s political landscape

by Esther Aoko Background to this article:  Kenya’s recently launched ten-year National Reproductive Health Policy 2022-2023 has been the focus of criticism by civil society organisations, human rights organisations, and professional bodies such as the Kenya Obstetrical Gynaecological Society (KOGS). After months of repeated requests for meaningful engagement in the policy development and review process, … Continue reading Kenya’s new National Reproductive Health Policy 2022-2032

A number of Making Waves members are taking part in AIDS2022 this week in Montreal. Watch our Twitter feed for updates and retweets from 4M, Salamander Trust, the Ssozi Foundation, Positive Young Women Voices, Lucy Wanjiku, Joyce Ouma, Jacquelyne Alesi and our many sisters from other networks and organisations.  Over the past years, some of … Continue reading Making Waves at AIDS2022

by Esther Aoko I got my first period when I was thirteen years old. I remember the previous week my desk mate saying, “Please sit down, I need to tell you something, you have messed up your dress.” At that point my heart was beating so fast as I thought that the day I was … Continue reading My first time: do you remember yours?

by Anne Mugo Anger is feminist currency. When I first read those words from Egyptian feminist writer Mona Eltahawy, I felt seen. It felt to me as an acknowledgement of an emotion that most of us associate with shame, something out of character. In all honesty, anger is just your brain communicating to you that … Continue reading Male engagement in responses to violence against women and girls: A young feminist’s introspection.

One of the truly wonderful things about being part of an international, intergenerational feminist collective like Making Waves is seeing all the different ways women are bringing their skills, interests, passions and expertise to our movements for the rights of women, girls and gender-diverse people, and to support the transformation of gender power dynamics and … Continue reading On feminist friendship and feminist work: Making Waves member Emma Bell and her evidence reviews

It's wonderful to see the new Sage Journals Special Collection of articles titled HIV and Women's Health: Where are We Now? The amazing Guest Editors, Bakita Kasadha (@BakitaKK) and Dr Shema Tariq (@savoy__truffle) have put together a great collection of articles, some of which are now available online. We are really pleased to draw special … Continue reading New articles in the Special Collection: HIV and Women’s Health – Where are we now?

The deadline for abstract submissions to this workshop has been extended to tomorrow, February 4 2022. Check out the workshop website for details of the programme and abstract submission guidelines. Abstracts can be submitted under the following categories: - Epidemiology of HIV in Women and Girls- HIV Prevention in Women (Including PrEP)- Diagnosis and Treatment … Continue reading International Workshop on HIV & Women 2022 abstract deadline Feb 4

By Martha Tholanah and Fiona Hale We’ve been part of a team submitting abstract proposals for a few AIDS conferences now, looking at how women living with HIV are represented and included in research and conferences. The AIDS2022 deadline for abstract submission is fast approaching - the extended deadline is February 4, 2022. In this … Continue reading AIDS2022 abstracts are due Feb 4 2022! We reflect on our challenges in submitting an abstract and getting access to AIDS2020, and hope AIDS2022 can get it right.