Passion & Portraits
Young Women Raise HIV Awareness in South Asia

A photography project gives a new approach to engaging women with the realities of HIV/AIDS

In 2005, our South Asia Regional Office (IPPF SARO) invited 10 young women to travel outside their own countries for the first time for an HIV/AIDS-awareness photography project. The 16 to 20-year-olds came to India in partnership with five of our Member Associations* and developed skills in HIV/AIDS peer education and photography over a four-day workshop.

The ‘Passion and Portraits’ initiative was developed in order to engage young women in the realities of HIV/AIDS, as well as to use creative photography to empower them with the skills and knowledge to help educate their respective communities. The participating women were all from South Asian countries that demonstrated a particular vulnerability to HIV.

For South Asian women, being a photographer by profession or even as a hobby is very uncommon, and many of the women had limited experience with photography and cameras. They were shy about taking pictures of people and were encouraged to discuss their feelings and attitudes towards photography, and embrace the empowerment opportunities within this creative field.

After technical training on photography and a history of the camera, several field trips were organized for the women to put into practice what they had learnt - enabling them to gain experience and confidence in taking photographs.

Having come to the sessions with many misconstrued ideas about HIV/AIDS, active group discussion and sensitization by the facilitators helped to breakdown previously held beliefs and enable greater understanding of the facts surrounding HIV and AIDS. The sessions provided education on technical issues including basic modes of transmission, how to get tested and the implications of testing, how to stay negative, the complex issues around treatment and how anti-retroviral medication works.

Each participant returned to their respective country with a camera, six rolls of film and a photography assignment aimed to make use of their peer education knowledge and skills.

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Read more about this project by downloading the PDF from the link at the bottom of this page.

Our sincere thanks go to the South Asia Regional Office and its Member Associations and to Kodak India Inc

*Family Planning Association of Pakistan, Family Planning Association of India, Family Planning Association of Islamic Republic of Iran, Family Planning Association of Sri Lanka, Society of Health Education Maldives.