Liverpool SH Newsletter October – December 2024

BHA for Equality Liverpool

• Founded in 1990: Provides free and confidential sexual health services for Black, Asian, and other minoritised communities.
• Services Offered: Information and advice, group sessions, community activities, HIV and STI screenings, free condoms.
• Mission: Ensure individuals and communities have the knowledge and resources to achieve and maintain good sexual health.

PaSH Partnership

• Collaboration: Between BHA for Equality, George House Trust, and LGBT Foundation.
• Goal: End new cases of HIV transmission in Liverpool.
• Services: HIV testing, condom and lube delivery, information and advice, STI tests.

Mayor’s Welcome

• Event: Global Liverpool 2024.
• Participation: BHA for Equality met with the Lord Mayor of Liverpool, Richard Kemp.
• Activities: Shared information about free sexual health services, engaged with community partners.

World AIDS Day 2024

• Events: Increased opportunities for HIV testing.
• Community Engagement: Created a WAD board to symbolize dismantling HIV stigma and discrimination.

Partnerships with Black-Owned Businesses

• Establishments: Barber shops, hair salons, restaurants.
• Purpose: Turned into condom distribution points to increase access to protection.
• Social Media Campaigns: Featured partners like The Beauty Suite barber shop.

PrEP Awareness Week 2024

• Focus: Raise awareness around PrEP, a pill that prevents HIV transmission.
• Challenges: Unequal uptake among women and Black African people.
• Campaign: Daily social media posts, direct conversations at WAD events.

Meet the Team

• Elsa Maunganidze: Community Engagement & Development Worker.
• Elisabete Miranda: Programme Lead.
• Bothwell Chikomba: Sexual Health Lead.

Bothwell on Sexual Health

• Personal Story: Reflects on early encounters with sexual health education.
• Approach: Emphasizes empowerment over fear, culturally appropriate content, community-friendly services.

Campaigns and Initiatives

• Social Media: Reliable information and myth-busting around PrEP.
• Community Engagement: Direct conversations at events.