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November 30, 2006
Jamaican Public Health Guru Makes Global AIDS History
By: Janice Dayle
The Global Network of People Living With HIV/AIDS (GNP+) elected Deloris Dockrey as Chairperson of their Board of Directors at an August 2006 annual general meeting held in Toronto. "Never before has a woman or a member who originates from the developing world been elected to lead this group," Dockrey explained while gearing up to face a term of successes and inevitable challenges. Her election occurred prior to repeated calls during the recent International AIDS Conference - that signalled a need for more women leaders in the fight against HIV/AIDS - the unprecedented global challenge that puts everyone, but particularly women, in overwhelmingly vulnerable positions.
Hailing from St Elizabeth, Jamaica, Dockrey, 46, is no stranger to pioneering roles, as she is a founding member of the Global Network of People Living with HIV/AIDS North America (GNP+NA), and has been working in AIDS since 1999.
Residing in the United States since 1987, Dockrey speaks candidly about her experiences and is absolutely dedicated to not only facilitating HIV/AIDS awareness within global communities, but also more specifically to addressing the unique and sometimes oppressive or complicated situations that face people living with HIV/AIDS in their everyday lives. Dockrey described the GNP+ mandate as being, a mission to improve the quality of lives of people living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHA) by adopting the global advocacy agenda that focuses on access to treatment and care, issues of stigma and discrimination and the greater involvement of PLWHA (GIPA) - in the decisions that affect their lives.
Citing a return to normalcy as the dream of every PLWHA, Dockrey recounted the devastating affects of her own HIV diagnosis in 1994, which included dire trepidation of disclosure, not only to family members, but also within her professional community. Armed with a Masters Degree in Public Health, Dockrey quickly realised her unique position and made the decision to put a positive spin on what seemed to be a world of disillusion, condescension and often mayhem for PLWHA.
To date, Dockrey's long list of achievements in the HIV/AIDS struggle, includes being the Executive Director of Newark Ryan White Planning Council and she was recently selected to represent GNP+ and the International Community of Women living with HIV/AIDS (ICW) on the World AIDS Campaign (WAC) Global Steering Committee. The WAC steering committee is the driving force behind the annual internationally recognised World AIDS Day.
As she takes hold of the massive reins that steer GNP+, Dockrey is undaunted by the task at hand. "We need to galvanize the network, becoming a professional voice in prevention, treatment and care," she stated. With a commitment to evidence based policy approaches, Dockrey is eager to continue moving GNP+ forward as a network rooted in communities of PLWHA from around the world.
In mirroring GNP+, its 6 regional networks - CRN+ (Caribbean region), APN+ (Asia Pacific region), GNP+NA (North American region), GNP+Europe (European region), NAP+ (African region) and REDLa+ (Latin American region) achieve their goals by lobbying, linking and sharing. Lobbying for inclusion of PLWHA and their interests, linking PLWHA through diverse local, regional and global communications strategies and sharing knowledge with capacity building efforts at all levels.
For more information go to: www.gnpplus.net