HIV education and awareness non-profit to visit Indigenous communities

FORT ST. JOHN, B.C. — A regional non-profit dedicated to promoting awareness of HIV and AIDS will make stops in Treaty 8 communities next month.

Positive Living North is scheduled to hold sessions regarding education, testing and awareness of the human immuno virus (HIV) and acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) at Blueberry River First Nations (BRFN) and West Moberly First Nations (WMFN) in April.

The Indigenous-led organization was founded in 1992 and holds workshops throughout the region promoting preventative health and holistic wellbeing to residents throughout northern British Columbia.

According to Fort St. John Positive Living North community health educator Jufil Boquecosa, the sessions are part of an initiative funded by the First Nations Health Authority (FNHA).

She told Energeticcity.ca the purpose of these visits is to offer a safe space, and to get past  “obstacles in which HIV and AIDS services do not reach the areas by which our Indigenous brothers and sisters are in.”

“The first known case of HIV in Canada was in February 1982,” said Boquecosa. “Since then, people have thought that HIV and AIDS is a gay disease. We have made some leaps to address forms of stigma such as that, and education has played a vital role in what we do travelling to communities.

“After we do these sessions, we run an evaluative measure. Every time, we always get responses from these evaluations [from people] saying, yes, they have learned at least one thing.”

The sessions at the two Indigenous communities will include testing, workshops, bingo and a sharing circle where community members can talk about experiences.

Statistics from Waapihk Research from 2024 suggest while Indigenous people encompass five per cent of Canada’s population, they also make up between five and 10 per cent of new HIV cases nationwide.

The Canadian Foundation for AIDS Research says the virus was first discovered around 1981, when an unusually high number of pneumonia and cancer cases involving gay men first surfaced in the United States.

However, cases were also reported in intravenous drug users by the end of that year. The HIV virus attacks the body’s immune system, and without proper treatment can lead to AIDS, where the body’s immune system is damaged beyond repair.

Statistics Canada says 67,704 people were living with HIV in Canada as of 2024.

The free drop-in session will happen at BRFN’s health department on Wednesday, April 15th and Thursday, April 16th.

It is open to BRFN community members only, and no registration is required. Visit Positive Living North’s webpage or Facebook page to learn more.

While Positive Living North said it would also attend West Moberly First Nations (WMFN) on Monday, April 13th and Tuesday, April 14th, it did not confirm further details.