Positive Lives began 10 years ago as a unique international collaboration, led by volunteers, between the Terrence Higgins Trust, Network Photographers, Levi Strauss Foundation, and people living with HIV/AIDS. The photographs and stories shown here represent a small part of a living archive, over 500 text and images from 4 continents. This continuing body of work, responding to demand, has been seen by over 2 million people worldwide, in a wide range of venues including galleries, hospitals, prisons, libraries, railway stations, international conferences, local government offices, schools, conferences, and even local communities and villages.

Positive Lives uses the unique power of photography and personal testimonies, to communicate the human history behind HIV/AIDS worldwide, to speak to the heart and our common humanity. By sharing these stories, people can face the challenges, myths and prejudice surrounding HIV/AIDS and understanding how the human spirit has found expression in the form of positive responses. The project offers extraordinary insights into the lives of individuals, families, and communities who are affected by HIV/AIDS, reflecting the issues and emotions, which confront them in the daily realities of living and working with the disease.

Positive Lives is a call to action, a cry of outrage and a testimony to loss. It asks all of us, as world citizens, to take action, to place ourselves with total commitment, on the side of those people and communities affected by HIV, those who have faced this tragedy with such courage, compassion, and creativity.

The courage and commitment of the individuals who are photographed for "Positive Lives" cannot be underestimated. Their willingness to share their stories gives them a voice and allows others to learn.

Aims

Positive Lives aims to reach the widest and most diverse audiences as possible in a multitude of different cultures, social environments, and political climates. Its goals are to reach the people who have been excluded or rejected from mainstream society for the reason of ethnicity, sexuality, or class. At the same time, the focus of Positive Lives is to communicate to members of the society who through fear, misunderstanding, or prejudice, discriminate against and stigmatize those living with or affected by the disease.

The text and photographs of Positive Lives aims to:

• Put a human face to HIV and those it affects
• Promote positive responses to HIV from the general public
• Influence political, community leaders, and the media to take a positive stance to HIV, education and the rights of people living with HIV
• Highlight that people are living with HIV, not just dying from it
• Keep HIV on the world agenda and to highlight inequalities that exists, in particular access to proper treatment

Strategy

Positive Lives works with communities and individuals most affected by the epidemic to document in words and pictures their diverse responses to HIV/AIDS.

Positive Lives has reached millions of people internationally through its programme of high-level exhibitions, community outreach programs, and electronic print, and broadcast media. It provides a photographic resource for HIV/AIDS education and care organizations. It focuses on establishing partnerships with local groups to assist in their initiatives, and to leave with them the visual tools for ongoing programmes.

Themes and Formats

Positive Lives works with local and international organizations to utilize this unique resource, incorporated in various formats into existing health education programs. Some themes dealt with in the stories include issues of confidentiality, fear, prejudice, exclusion and survival, care, support, compassion, trust, and openness. The stories are shown in variety of ways including large scale exhibitions, small laminate and poster sets, websites, videos, books, and publications.

Local Community Venues include: elementary and high schools, universities, health centers, city halls, government agencies, trucking stops, railway stations, garment factories, workplaces, street markets, parks, department stores, malls, prisons, galleries, local community centers, youth frequented venues, bars, café's, libraries, book shops, hospitals, street festivals, etc.

Displays are also stages during local and international conferences, seminars, trainings, book launchings, symposia, lectures and other similar gatherings.

Positive Lives is active in the following countries: United Kingdom, Australia, India, Bangladesh, Malaysia, Thailand, France, Holland, Belgium, USA, Switzerland, Hong Kong, Japan, Korea, Philippines, Taiwan, Singapore, Trinidad, Haiti, Macau, Cambodia, Mumbai, Soweto, Togo, Mali, Central and Southern Africa.

Some books published include: Positive Lives: responses to HIV (UK stories) Cassel, 1993; Incarnation Children's Center by Eugene Richards 1998; A broken landscape: HIV/AIDS in Africa by Gideon Mendel; Network Photographers in association with ActionAid 2001, and Positive Lives: Global responses to HIV 2003.

Filipino AIDS Memorial Quilt : NAMES PROJECT Philippines

Names Project Philippines established in 1998, is an affiliate agency of the Names Project USA in charge of the AIDS Memorial Quilt Display worldwide. In the Philippines Names Project is registered as an NGO and its members are volunteers, clients and HIV/AIDS caregivers.

The AIDS Memorial Quilt Panels has been classified as one of the greatest education and advocacy tool. This has been so because:

• It humanizes the epidemic- each of the panel represents a person who died with AIDS. This gives face to the epidemic.
• It shows the enormity of the epidemic- every time a panel is added, the number of people who have died with AIDS increases, therefore the number of people directly affected is also increasing.

In order to complement existing programs on AIDS, the AIDS Memorial Quilt Panels plays a very important role.

• It displayed in prominent places frequented by people to increase AIDS awareness and education
• It is used to advocate among policymakers, legislators and the government people to come and develop HIV/AIDS/STI friendly and supportive laws policies that would enhance preventive and promotive programs to limit the spread of the virus.
• It is also an advocacy tool for government to allocate for more funds for prevention and promotive programs, and to address specific needs and concerns of positive people like access to affordable treatment and the over all care and support programs focused not only to positive individuals but to their families and significant others as well.
• It is displayed and exhibited within school campuses to initiate discussion about AIDS and eventually leading discussions on the over all reproductive concerns of the youth that may lead to a modification of the risky behaviours that may put them at risk of getting infected with HIV/STIs.
• It is used to encourage church people to engaged in care for people living with AIDS. The quilt shows the number of people who had been affected and that support goes beyond the biomedical level. Church people can help address the spiritual needs of already and at the same time those who are still living with AIDS and their families.
• AIDS Memorial Quilt Panels serve as tool for the disclosure of one's HIV status to their families and friends.
• also serves as tool to unite people. Whatever differences thee are, people come together in the fight against AIDS ultimately trying to reach one goal and one objective of limiting the spread of the virus. On a personal level, it brings people together, forgiveness and acceptance and eventually unconditional love, care and hope

The quilt display generates funds as well by ways of donation form the viewing public and audience. Funds collected out of the exhibits and displays are turned over to the Names Project in order to allocate specific amounts to priority projects of NGO partners at the community level.

Currently, Names Project has a total of over a hundred of panels close to fifty (50) sections. These were handsewn by HIV clients themselves, families, relatives, friends, partners, caregivers working on HIV/AIDS issues. The Filipino Quilts have travelled both local and internationally and have participated in various major HIV/AIDS Conferences worldwide since 1997.

Positive Lives Caravan 2003 Exhibition facilitated by Remedios AIDS Foundation will cover 10 youth school posts starting January 2004. Positive Lives 2 Exhibition exhibit launching was held last December 1, 2003 at grounds of Cebu City Hall attended by 200 guests and participants from Cebu City.

A press conference follows after the exhibit at the Vice Mayor's Mike Rama's office attended by various media practitioners. The closing ceremony will be in time for the celebration of AIDS Candlelight memorial on 3rd Sunday of May 2004.