HIV/AIDS in Africa

This photo journal presents intimate portraits of women living with HIV/AIDS in Africa as well as their personal stories. The photographs were taken by Sonke Weiss who represents World Vision Germany, a Christian child-focused non-governmental organisation, during his two-year journey through the Congo and southern Africa.

The compilation of photos is separated into sections depicting daughters, sisters, mothers and wives. The goal of the publication is to help promote awareness about the realities of women’s lives that are infected / affected by HIV/AIDS. “As the World Health Organization and UNAIDS push to provide antiretroviral treatment to 3 million AIDS patients by 2005, we must ensure that women get their fair share. As prevention programmes are designed to include abstinence as a component, we should push for a girl’s “right to abstain” - a precious gift for the millions of girls in Africa who are forced into sex to secure food, other necessities or school fees.”

In addition, the photo journal seeks to inspire people living with HIV/AIDS to face their personal realities in an effort to cope with the stress of dealing with their status within their families, communities and workplaces. Weiss writes: “I wanted to find out about the women who have been affected by HIV/AIDS, who they are, what they think, how they deal with the AIDS pandemic, how it affects their lives and their souls, and what the future holds for them. What I found out was that these women are far more than victims. They define themselves as more than that: they are wives, mothers, sisters, friends. They are heroes!”