What we do
Publish Books on positive living, do Workshops and Talks, Advocating for rights, give personal Support and develop Resources.
How will OP achieve its aims?
- Publish a series of stories about living positively with and affected by HIV
- Run awareness-raising workshops and give talks on HIV and positive living
- Advocate for the rights and involvement of people living with HIV
- Give personal support to people living with HIV and our loved ones
- Develop helpful resources to encourage positive living.
Telling stories of positive lives
These stories aim to promote the visibility of people living with HIV and AIDS, and to celebrate the positive lives of a diversity of people. Our books promote a less stigmatised environment for HIV disclosure, acceptance and living positively.
Our story-telling series is an opportunity for mentoring, supporting and building the capacity of people whose voices have not been heard to tell their stories through writing, drawing, photos and using a variety of languages.
The first book, published in November 2007, was Clouds move, the life story of Derrick Fine, one of our trustees. Our second book, Umzala, the life journey of Openly Positive trustee Elaine Maane, launches on 25 February 2009.
"Tragedies not only break us, but also leave vacuums that with time we choose to fill, either with beautiful memories or with emptiness. I have chosen memories because that way all my family still lives on in the stars in the sky."
Elaine Maane, Umzala, February 2009
The third book in Openly Positive's story-telling series, Whisper not celebrates the lives of 15 proud people from the African continent telling our stories of living positively with and being deeply affected by HIV. We share our personal experiences of love, loss, survival and hope, speaking out to silence the whispers, the gossip and the rumours that often characterise life in the age of HIV.
In our first venture into publishing in mother tongues, we have also translated three of the Whisper not stories from the collection: Nombeko Mpongo's Nakanjani in isiXhosa; Bhatupe Mhango's Kufinya mandimu, kukonza chakumwa in Chichewa; and Jean-Claude Puati Bazola's La sculpture des temps in French.
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Running awareness-raising workshops and giving talks
on HIV and positive living
We facilitate awareness-raising workshops and give talks to help promote HIV prevention and to reduce HIV-related stigma. For example, workshops and talks aim to:
- Promote safer sex and responsible relationships
- Encourage regular voluntary counselling and HIV testing
- Share how we live positive, fulfilling lives with HIV
- Pioneer positive, non-stigmatising language to create a more supportive environment for people living with HIV and AIDS.
Example of responses from young adults to the sharing of disclosure during an Openly Positive workshop in 2007:
"The HIV/AIDS workshop was great because it gave a personal touch and got across points in a simple manner. I enjoyed it - it was open and honest, and forced us to examine our personal views. It made me step outside of normal thinking: I never saw HIV as something to live with for so long."
The Openly Positive Trust is a public benefit organisation allowing us to receive donations to sustain current activities and introduce new activities. If you would like to make a donation, please click here.
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Advocating for the rights and involvement of people living with HIV
We advocate for recognising and respecting the rights of people living with HIV and AIDS in all communities and the workplace in general.
We promote the United Nations Joint Programme on HIV/AIDS GIPA Principle. This stands for the Greater Involvement of People Living with HIV and AIDS, and encourages the active participation of people living with HIV and AIDS in HIV/AIDS policies, programmes and projects.
An example of the GIPA Principle is Openly Positive itself, with our four trustees all people living openly with HIV.
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Personal support for people living with HIV and our loved ones
We help provide personal support for people living with HIV and AIDS, together with our loved ones and all people affected by HIV and AIDS. Examples of personal support are:
- Referring people to voluntary counselling and HIV testing
- Empowering people to run support groups
- Building skills that enable people to more easily support themselves.
With the gradual rollout of antiretroviral (ARV) treatment in South Africa, a crucial element of personal support is treatment literacy tailored to the needs of individuals living with HIV and AIDS, for example:
- Encouraging and assisting people to access ARVs
- Preparing people to adhere to their ARV combination and to cope with possible side effects
- Developing other ways of staying healthy and living positive, affirmed lives.
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What resources can we offer to support our activities?
Books
- Clouds move: a South African story of living openly with HIV by Derrick Fine
- Umzala: a Zambian-born South African woman's story of living with HIV by Elaine Maane
- Whisper not: 15 proud voices from the African continent telling diverse and moving stories of living positively with and being deeply affected by HIV.
- Nakanjani: a life story sharing how Nombeko Mpongo survives being gang-raped to become a proud role model and advocate for living positively with HIV.
- Kufinya mandimu, kukonza chakumwa: Bhatupe Mhango's voyage of discovery through southern Africa to the confident woman working in HIV she is today.
- La sculpture des temps: Jean-Claude Puati Bazola's journey of survival from the homophobic DRC and escaping to life with HIV as an asylum seeker in South Africa.
Learning tools
- Lessons and Questions for Discussion from Clouds move
- Lessons and Questions for Discussion from Umzala
- Lessons and Questions from Whisper not
- Lessons and Questions from Nakanjani
- Lessons and Questions from Kufinya mandimu, kukonza chakumwa
- Lessons and Questions from La sculpture des temps
- Positive Language Guidelines from Clouds move
- From scrap page to story: our writing tips
Other media
- A leaflet about Openly Positive, Clouds move and Umzala
- A leaflet about Openly Positive and Clouds move
- A leaflet about Openly Positive and Umzala
- A leaflet about Openly Positive, Whisper not and the three translated stories
- A poster and bookmark publicising Clouds move
- A poster and bookmark publicising Umzala
- A bookmark publicising Whisper not and the three translated stories
- A poster publicising Whisper not
- A poster publicising Nakanjani
- A poster publicising Kufinya mandimu, kukonza chakumwa
- A poster publicising La sculture des temps
- A poster publicising all six Openly Positive publications
- A notebook for writers with writing tips
- An electronic mailer publicising Openly Positive and all six of its publications
- A range of awareness-raising workshop materials and handouts tailored to the needs of different participants.
