| 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." (Ref.
http://www.comminit.com/materials/ma2005/materials-2521.html)
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