The International Paper Dolls Campaign

By YWCA News

June 6, 2011 

World 

The YWCA of New Zealand/Aotearoa and Positive Women Inc., an HIV positive women’s group, have joined a unique and attractive campaign – the International Paper Dolls Campaign – which raises awareness on female condoms, as well as the education and programming needed to support their use, in a most surprising way. The campaign is funded by The Universal Access to Female Condom Joint Programme (UAFC) so as to illustrate the growing, worldwide demand for female condoms

Massive chains of paper dolls, each one with a personal message that reflects people’s thoughts on female condoms, have been created. Thousands of these dolls will be on display at the United National Plaza in New York during the upcoming United Nations High Level Meeting on HIV and AIDS, and thousands more will be carried into the Dutch Parliament when UAFC holds its conference there in November.

“Less than one percent of all condoms distributed globally are female condoms.  Over 99 percent are male condoms. This means that very few of the millions of people who would like to use female condoms for protection from pregnancy, HIV and other STI’s can get them. Even where they are available, they are often priced out of the reach of most people, including here in New Zealand,” says Jane Bruning of Positive Women Inc.

As this campaign clearly fits in with the YWCA’s active role in supporting and training women and young girls worldwide, it is not surprising that the YWCA of New Zealand/Aotearoa has chosen to adhere to it. As Sarah Davies, General Secretary of the YWCA of New Zealand, says:  “At the YWCA, we believe it is essential to provide adequate resources to support the capacity of women and girls to lead change on HIV and AIDS and sexual and reproductive health and rights issues – and this includes access to the female condom as a life saving device. The Paper Doll Campaign will be a fun way to raise awareness on this.”

As a follow-up, the YWCA of New Zealand/Aotearoa and Positive Women Inc. plan to hold a national event later in the year to raise awareness of the female condom in New Zealand.

Such an unusual campaign will most certainly have a strong impact on all those who see it and it will be an effective way of getting the message across to governments and leading them to take more concrete steps in investing in female condoms.

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