Many HIV/AIDS patients, especially in developing nations, face discrimination and stigma. It largely affects women who are shunned by family and society and left to fend for themselves. Therefore, any assistance for these women can be very beneficial.

The International Community of Women Living with HIV (ICW) works to help women with HIV/AIDS through many initiatives.

A History of ICW

When the fight against AIDS was in its preliminary stages, women were excluded from discussions taking place on the international stage. In 1992, during the International AIDS Conference in Amsterdam, the women passionate about their voices on HIV/AIDS, unveiled their organization – the ICW.

Since then ICW has been growing steadily. It now helps women with HIV/AIDS in 120 countries.

Positive Women’s Survival Kit

Publication by ICW, ‘Positive Women’s Survival Kit’ is a work written by women with HIV/AIDS. It was mainly planned and published for the women with HIV/AIDS who reside in countries with limited resources available to them for treatment and survival.

• The kit focuses on resources that women everywhere can use. Therefore, it has not included many treatments that are only available in developed nations.
• It has been published in many languages such as English, French, Portuguese, Arabic, Chinese, Urdu, Russian, Kiswahili and Thai.
• The kit has been widely distributed in many countries around the world. It is also used to raise awareness about HIV and AIDS through workshops held for patients. These workshops are run by women with HIV/AIDS.
• The kit is divided into two parts. In the first part, women with HIV, from across the world, talk about their own lives. The publication begins with an introduction of the survival kit. The first few sections mention about ICW and its role. In the second part, there are various resources for readers.
• The resources are divided into sections, and each topic contains useful information. These sections are about dealing with the diagnosis of HIV, health tips, relationships, sex, grief, young women, women in prison, human right, etc.

The kit is a valuable resource in imparting information to women with HIV/AIDS and helping them connect with others.