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From  All Nations Hope AIDS Network web site

Hosted by All Nations Hope AIDS Network
2735 5th Ave.,  Regina, SK S4T 0L2
Phone: (306) 924-8424, Toll Free: 1-877-210-7622
Fax: (306) 525-3698,  Email: allnationshope2@sasktel.net
Check the website for updates:http://www.allnationshope.ca 

Our mandate is as follows: Being a network of Aboriginal people, organizations and agencies, we respectfully strive to provide support and services to our First Nations, Métis and Inuit families and communities who are experiencing HIV/AIDS and Hepatitis C.

All Nations Hope AIDS Network has been in Saskatchewan since 1995 and we are the only Aboriginal AIDS Service Organization in Saskatchewan. Our service mandate includes all regions in the province of Saskatchewan. The Network is in partnership with various groups at regional, provincial and national levels. All Nations Hope AIDS Network consists of Aboriginal staff, Board of Directors, volunteers and an Advisors Circle.

Our current services include workshops on HIV/AIDS, Harm Reduction, Hepatitis C, Two Spirit and Inspirational Speakers. We also provide the following training:

• Sharing the Knowledge – 2 day training on HIV/AIDS & Hepatitis C
• Circle of Knowledge Keepers – peer training for correctional inmates
• Youth Peer Leadership in the community – 5 day training for youth
• Sisters in Spirit – 2 day training on a Harm Reduction Approach for Women Struggling with Addictions during Childbearing Years.

We have also developed valuable resources throughout the years some of which include the Sharing the Knowledge Train the Trainers manual and a HIV/AIDS and HCV kit, a Two Spirit pamphlet, a video entitled “The Journey from my Head to my Heart” and a harm Reduction Guide. Some of our resources are available on our website at www.allnationshope.ca. Please take a moment to check out the site which was developed by staff and is kept up to date with information, resources and upcoming events. We also circulate a bi-monthly newsletter called “Positive Journeys”.

However, the trend in new infections in Saskatchewan is changing this picture. The rate of newly reported HIV infections in Saskatchewan is almost double that for Canada as a whole. There were 124 newly reported HIV infections in Saskatchewan in 2007, or 12.4 per 100,000 people. The rate for Canada as a whole in 2007 was 7.4 per 100,000 people (2,432 new cases reported in a population of 32,976,000 people for Canada; Saskatchewan population 996,900,000) (PHAC, 2008; Statistics Canada, 2007).

In Saskatchewan, most of this increase can be attributed to injection drug use. The proportion of newly reported HIV cases reporting injection drug use in Saskatchewan is three times as high than for Canada as a whole. Most new HIV cases in Saskatchewan report injection drug use. In Saskatchewan, 68 per cent (84 of 124) of newly reported cases of HIV in 2007 reported previous injection drug use (Saskatchewan Health, no date). For Canada as a whole, 23 per cent of newly reported HIV infections in 2007 occurred among injection drug users (Saskatchewan Health, no date), down from an estimated 35 per cent of new HIV infections in 1996 (PHAC, 2007). The rapid rise in new cases starting in 2004 coincides with the widespread use of cocaine in Saskatchewan. (Final Report NEP in Sask 2009)

Since 2003, there has been a significant increase in the number of newly diagnosed cases of HIV in Regina. Following is more information on the situation between 2003 and 2008:

• Between 2003 and 2007, there have been 104 newly diagnosed cases of HIV;
• The number of cases reported annually ranged from 12 to 22 between 2003 and 2006;
• In 2007, there were 36 new cases reported, a three-fold increase from 2003;
• In 2007, more than half of all new cases were among females, about four times higher than in 2003;
• In 2007, the number of cases reported among males was about 2.5 times higher than in 2003.
• Aboriginals accounted for 69 per cent of all new HIV cases in 2007, which is much higher in 2003 when they accounted for about 42 per cent of new cases;
• There were 25 news cases of HIV in Aboriginal people in 2007 compared to only 5 new cases in 2003;
• In the first five months of 2008, there have been 25 new cases reported, most of those found among Aboriginal people;
• New HIV cases among injection drug users account for 67 per cent of all new cases of HIV;
• Since 2003, HIV has been diagnosed in boys and girls as young as 13 and men and women in their 50s.
  (Regina Qu'Appelle Health Region, Population and Public Health Services, New Cases of HIV in Regina, January, 2003 to May, 2008)

The 3rd Annual Aboriginal HIV/AIDS & HCV Conference is taking place in Regina, SK on November 15-17, 2009, with this year’s conference focusing on women. It will be an inspiring and informative 3 days of training, networking, healing and sharing skills. Our plan was to take this annual conference to various parts of the province over the years, so that we may reach the people that do not have access to resources and information on HIV/AIDS and HCV.

Keynote Speakers:

LaVerne Monette

"Tired of Waiting" - This keynote presentation will cover historical and current reasons why Aboriginal women are at risk for HIV/AIDS and hepatitis C, and what we, as Aboriginal peoples need to do about it.

LaVerne is a two-spirit Ojibway originally from Winnipeg, Manitoba.  Since 1995, she has been the Executive Director of the Ontario Aboriginal HIV/AIDS Strategy, a provincial AIDS service organization whose mandate is to provide HIV/AIDS information, health promotion and program and service supports for  off-reserve Aboriginal people living with and affected by HIV/AIDS, their partners, families and communities.

She is currently on the Board of Directors of the Ontario HIV Treatment Network and Prisoners with HIV/AIDS Support Action Network.

Jessica Yee

"Young Aboriginal Women: Empowering Ourselves for the Next 7 Generations: - This keynote will focus on the voices and experiences of young Aboriginal women on where we are being silenced so we can work collectively to take our power back for the next 7 generations.

Jessica is a self-described Indigenous feminist reproductive justice freedom fighter. 23 years old from the Mohawk Nation, Jessica is the founder and

Director of the Native Youth Sexual Health Network, a North America wide organization working on issues of healthy sexuality, reproductive justice, cultural competency, and youth empowerment. She is a strong believer in the power of the youth voice, and you can see her activisting it up on sites like the CNN syndicated Racialicious, SHAMELESS Magazine: For Girls Who Get It! or her recently released book "Sex Ed and Youth: Colonization, Communities of Colour, and Sexuality" She is the 2009 recipient of the YWCA Young Woman of Distinction, a 2009 Role Model for the National Aboriginal Health Organization, and was named one of 20 International Women's Health Heroes by Our Bodies/Our Blog."