STITCHES Goes Global at XVI International Conference
Feature article, Michigan HIV & STD News, Fall 2006 Issue
Undeniably women’s issues were at the forefront of the XVI International AIDS
Conference held in August 2006 in Toronto, and Michigan’s STITCHES Doll Project
was there to catch the wave of interest. Director Kathy Gerus-Darbison brought
materials to introduce this unique art therapy and education program to women
worldwide at the Conference’s Global Village, in its second year at the
Conference.
Gerus-Darbison met women from India, Cambodia, France, Zambia, The Netherlands,
Thailand, and Zimbabwe as well as North America. Each one had her unique story
to tell; all with the common bond of living with HIV, who promised to make dolls
for the Project. Gerus-Darbison also met administrators of organizations that
provide services to women in both developed and underdeveloped countries who saw
this as a wonderful therapeutic and empowering program for women.
The Conference also provided this former member of President Clinton’s Advisory
Council on AIDS (PACA) the opportunity to reconnect with influential people like
Helene Gayle
and for direct contact with other leaders of global organizations, to help
market STITCHES globally and possibly help finance the expansion of the program.
(Far right), Kathy Gerus-Darbison meets up with an old friend from PACA, Judy
Billings (center), and National AIDS Fund President Kandy Ferree (left) at IAC
2006.
“Oh my God, the conference was incredible. I am exhausted. I have no voice left
after talking non-stop for 3 days, but I have never felt more energized in my
whole life,” said Gerus-Darbison. There were several sleepless nights before
boarding the train on the morning of the Conference opening day. Gerus-Darbison
and several volunteers, including husband Bill Darbison, rushed to prepare media
kits to distribute at the Conference.
STITCHES began in 1999 as a novel idea to promote community awareness of how HIV
affects women of all ages, race, economic status and religion – no matter where
they live; to give women living with HIV a safe opportunity to speak about how
HIV has impacted their lives by creating personal rag dolls; and to preserve the
life histories of these women so that others may learn from them. Gerus-Darbison
created the program with Candice Moench, while both were employed by the Midwest
AIDS Prevention Project.
STITCHES provides fabric doll forms to women living with HIV/AIDS to use as a
base for creating an expression of what living with HIV has meant to them. The
completed dolls are returned to the project and then become part of a traveling
exhibit to continue the awareness of HIV for everyone who sees them.
For the past seven years STITCHES has been funded through donations by private
citizens. This summer Gerus-Darbison brought the doll collection home from MAPP,
incorporated as STITCHES Doll Project LLC and is seeking non-profit status. In
August STITCHES received a small grant from Easter Seals that allowed for the
last minute trip to Toronto for the opening three days of the Conference.
Currently, the STITCHES Project has 73 dolls from North America ready to travel.
Gerus-Darbison would welcome the opportunity to provide doll forms for any
women’s support group interested in making dolls for the exhibit, or to provide
dolls from the exhibit for your public display. For more information call toll
free at 1-866-554-2368. Soon you may visit the new website
http://stitchesdollproject.org/.
For more on this amazing woman who has been an advocate representing the
community of people affected by hemophilia and AIDS since 1989, see the Summer
2000 Issue feature article, “Women Living with HIV/AIDS”
http://www.mihivnews.com/features/women_lwha.htm.
See Mending the Future Story.
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