The Stephen Lewis Foundation

10/10/2026

This World Mental Health Day, we’re sharing a conversation between SLF Deputy Director, Advocacy, Healy Thompson and SLF Director of Programs, Leah Teklemariam, recorded at this year’s International AIDS Conference.

They highlight how meaningful mental health support must be community-led, building on the expertise and structures that community-led organizations have developed through decades of the HIV response.

Funders also have a critical role to play in resourcing community-identified priorities and supporting the well-being of activists, peer educators, volunteers and community health workers, recognizing that a sustainable HIV response depends on the people who lead it.

Video credit: United for Global Mental Health

10/09/2026

The Grandmothers to Grandmothers Campaign is looking to the future.

As the Campaign’s 20th anniversary celebration in Ottawa came to a close, members recommitted to global solidarity, hope and collective action to end AIDS.

Grandmothers, activists, SLF partners and staff marched to Parliament Hill to honour 20 years of grandmothers’ solidarity and call for Canada’s leadership on global health.

Together with the grandmothers and our partners, the Stephen Lewis Foundation shares renewed hope and commitment to collective action toward a future free from AIDS.

Thank you to everyone who joined the event in person and online. Your support and solidarity keep the movement going.

Photo credit: Jen Bernard Photography

10/09/2026

Thank you, The Honourable Randeep S. Sarai, Secretary of State, Canada’s International Development – Global Affairs Canada, for taking the time to join us in solidarity and for your continued work to advance Canada’s role in global health and efforts to end AIDS worldwide.

10/07/2026

Yesterday in Ottawa, grandmothers, activists, SLF partners and staff came together to learn, reflect and engage with the realities of communities affected by HIV and AIDS.

Together, we heard from African grandmothers and partners, explored current issues facing the HIV movement, and heard from The Honourable Randeep S. Sarai, Canada’s International Development – Global Affairs Canada, on Canada’s role in advancing global health and efforts to end AIDS worldwide. We also reflected on the progress made, challenges that persist and the work still needed to strengthen our collective impact in the years ahead.

Follow along as we celebrate 20 years of solidarity, learning and collective action!

Photo credit: Maureen Murphy, [One World Grannies - Ottawa], and Jen Bernard Photography

10/06/2026

Right now in Ottawa, grandmothers, activists, SLF partners and staff are gathering to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the Grandmothers to Grandmothers Campaign and honour the stories that inspired the grandmothers international solidarity movement.

Together, we're reflecting on two decades of impact across Canada and Africa, sharing insights on the current realities of HIV and its impact on partners and communities, and discussing the progress made, challenges that persist and the work still needed for a more equitable and effective global response to HIV.

Follow along as we celebrate 20 years of solidarity and power the movement together!

(Photo credit: Maureen Murphy, One World Grannies - Ottawa)

10/05/2026

Join us in Ottawa for the Grandmothers to Grandmothers Marketplace on Tuesday, October 6, for an evening of shopping, music and community.

Discover handcrafted items, artwork, jewellery, home décor and one-of-a-kind treasures created by grandmothers groups from across Canada. Proceeds support the Grandmothers to Grandmothers Campaign and helps to empower grandmothers and communities affected by HIV across Africa.

Plus, enjoy live music by Steven Page! Steven will perform songs from his new holiday album Steven’s Greetings and many popular favourites. This is a sneak peek of his upcoming performance on November 28 at Algonquin Commons Theatre in Ottawa.
The Kamengo Cultural Troupe and special guests will also perform.

Tuesday, October 6, 2026
4:00–8:00 p.m.
Library and Archives Canada, 395 Wellington Street, Ottawa
Free admission • Donations encouraged

09/30/2026

Today, on the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, the Stephen Lewis Foundation joins in reflection and commitment.

This year, we are reflecting on the connection between truth and reconciliation and climate justice. Indigenous peoples have long been stewards of the land, carrying generations of knowledge about caring for and protecting the environments and communities we all depend on. Stewardship of the land is a responsibility we all share, and reconciliation requires us to take action.

We’re sharing VIDEA’s Climate Action Toolkit as a resource for learning and action: theslf.org/climate-toolkit

Today and every day, we stand in solidarity with Indigenous communities across Canada.

09/23/2026

“For LGBTIQ activists and communities in Uganda, there is often no completely safe space,” shares Mutyaba Gloria.

Gloria is the Director of Programs at Freedom and Roam Uganda (FARUG), a community-led organization defending LGBTIQ rights in an environment where lives, health and safety are under threat every day.

Uganda’s 2023 Anti-Homosexuality Act has criminalized LGBTIQ lives, creating barriers to health care, including HIV services, and increasing the risks of violence, harassment and arrest.

FARUG defends LGBTIQ rights and connects communities through advocacy, legal services and peer support.

Through the Partners in Pride initiative, you can join the Stephen Lewis Foundation in solidarity with LBTIQ-led organizations like FARUG as they defend human rights and support access to health care.

Champion health and human rights with LGBTIQ communities in sub‑Saharan Africa. Human rights defenders put their safety on the line every day to lead organizations that stand up for the human rights and health of LGBTIQ communities. Far too often, they are doing it alone. You can be a part of chan...

09/10/2026

“My child is my courage.”

Elizabeth* is a single mother and bisexual woman living with HIV in Uganda.

Every day, her safety is under threat by the 2023 Anti-Homosexuality Act, which has made health care, including HIV interventions, more difficult and dangerous to access.

Through Freedom and Roam Uganda (FARUG), an SLF partner, she has found access to health care, food and a community she can trust.

When you support Partners in Pride, an SLF initiative, you help connect LGBTIQ communities with the care and support needed to build healthier, safer futures.

Learn more at theslf.org/partnersinpride

*Name changed to protect privacy.

09/08/2026

Join us in Ottawa for the Grandmothers to Grandmothers Marketplace on Tuesday, October 6, for an evening of shopping, music and community.

Discover handcrafted items, artwork, jewellery, home décor and one-of-a-kind treasures created by grandmothers groups from across Canada. Proceeds support the Grandmothers to Grandmothers Campaign and helps to empower grandmothers and communities affected by HIV across Africa.

Plus, enjoy live music by Steven Page! Steven will perform songs from his new holiday album Steven’s Greetings and many popular favourites. This is a sneak peek of his upcoming performance on November 28 at Algonquin Commons Theatre in Ottawa.
The Kamengo Cultural Troupe and special guests will also perform.

Tuesday, October 6, 2026
4:00–8:00 p.m.
Library and Archives Canada, 395 Wellington Street, Ottawa
Free admission • Donations encouraged