HIV and gender-based violence

A letter for HIV advocacy

In this assignment, you will write a letter to a specific organization or person about an HIV- related topic or affected population. In this letter, you will (1) articulate the burden of HIV in the community-of-interest, (2) critically discuss the issue considering the social and structural inequities influencing HIV vulnerability; and (3) discuss and advocate for interventions known to mediate vulnerability within the population.

Assignment overview:

In this assignment, you will write a letter to a specific organization or person about an HIV-related topic or affected population (topic: HIV and gender-based violence), as covered in the course material.

In this letter, you will:

·  Include the name and contact details of the person/organization to whom the letter is addressed;

·  Include a sentence/paragraph explaining why you are writing to this particular person/organization;

·  Articulate the burden of HIV (or determinants of HIV) in your chosen community-of-interest;

·  Critically discuss the issue considering the social and structural inequities influencing HIV vulnerability; and

·  Discuss and advocate for interventions known to mediate vulnerability within the population.

Assignment details:

This assignment should be formatted as an actual letter. That is, it should be addressed to someone and should include your details in the signature line.

The letter should be a maximum of 2 double-spaced pages, using a minimum 11-point font in Arial. Include one Appendix with one-page of supporting figures, maps, tables, or other information that may be helpful (e.g., maps, figures, tables, etc).

UPDATE: You should include a reference list. The reference list will be in addition to the maximum 2 pages of letter content and the optional 1 page appendix. Choose a widely accepted referencing style (e.g. Vancouver style).

UPDATE 2: You should include in-text citations in accordance with the referencing style you choose i.e. Vancouver style (superscript numbers) as they are not as invasive in the letter.

I also want to clarify that this should be written like an actual letter to advocate for support or an intervention for a population affected by HIV.

Assignment 2 Rubric

Content (5 points)

Overall, the letter provided a concise description of the purpose. The letter clearly articulated the relevance of your HIV-related concern, including (if applicable) the burden of HIV in the selected community-of-interest. The letter critically discussed the issue considering the social and structural inequities influencing HIV vulnerability. Content from class lectures and readings was woven into the letter. The letter advocates for interventions known to mediate vulnerability. The letter included only information relevant to the problem.

Writing (3 points)

The letter is well-written, organized, and free from typos. The ideas are clearly expressed and supported. The tone is appropriate given the selected addressee.

Style/Formatting (1 points)

The letter adheres to the formatting guidelines of the assignment. The letter includes name and contact details of the person/organization to whom the letter is addressed.

Innovation (1 points)

The letter is compelling and thought-provoking.