Every month, Feminist Book Club donates a portion of proceeds to a non-profit organization. As part of our collaboration with DecentredLit, the spotlight organization for March is Eve For Life, based in Jamaica. The organization was founded in 2008 “in response to a dire need for support to women and children living with or affected by HIV and AIDS.” Eve For Life also responds to the sexual and gender violence that contributes to the HIV/AIDS epidemic. Their mission is “to improve the sexual and reproductive health and rights, and quality of life of young women and girls exposed to HIV and sexual and gender-based violence.” More than anything, as their Executive Director Joy Crawford puts it, they are more than an organization— they are a movement that supports and empowers girls, who are frequently underrepresented in society.
I had the special opportunity to speak with Joy Crawford, Shana-Lee Smith, and Patricia Watson of Eve For Life about the work they do and ways people can carry their mission forward. Coincidentally, we talked on the 13th anniversary of the organization.
Interview Highlights
-Despite the initial challenges of lack of support for their work because it was female-focused, and lack of funding, Eve For Life has grown over the years and has impacted the lives of many women and children. They now have 20 staff members serving across 4 parishes in Jamaica.
-Their mentorship program is made up of Mentor Moms, women who were once clients that now provide 24/7 support to their mentees.
-HIV meds are free and available in Jamaica, so that is not the issue. The issues are the social ills, gender bias, and violence that women and girls living with HIV/AIDS face.
–Eve For Life 100% depends on donations.
These words do no justice. Have a listen to learn more from Eve For Life’s leadership, including the challenges they’ve faced, their successes, and the impact they are creating for women and girls.
HOW TO SUPPORT
There are many ways to support Eve For Life. Here are their links to click through and help mobilize their message:
![There are times that you need to reach for a book that can help you address the more sorrowful feelings that bubble up in times of grief 📚️
Here are a couple that have come across our desk:
📕Tending Grief: Embodied Rituals for Holding Our Sorrow and Growing Cultures of Care in Community by Camille Sapara Barton (@natlanticbooks)
"An embodied guide to being with grief individually and in community—practical exercises, decolonized rituals, and Earth-based medicines for healing and processing loss"
📘I Promise It Won't Always Hurt Like This: 18 Assurances on Grief Clare Mackintosh (@sourcebooks)
"Inspired by a viral Twitter thread Clare wrote on the anniversary of her son’s death, this book offers 18 short assurances that are full of compassion. This book is for the loved ones offering support but don’t know what else to say and for the grieving who are searching for answers and a kind voice to turn to."
Do you have a book that you've read that helped address getting through grief?
[alt text: two books on a white table with a green plant in the corner]
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