Positive Action was created in 1992 as the first pharmaceutical programme of support for communities affected by HIV and AIDS. ViiV Healthcare is proud to continue the Positive Action programme and its valuable work with these communities.
The programme targets its funds towards projects that fulfil one or more of these criteria
- Enable grassroots community action
- Build capacity in Community Based Organisations (CBOs) and Non Governmental Organisations (NGOs)
- Test innovative approaches
- Reach marginalised populations
- Tackle stigma and discrimination
Our projects range across education, prevention, care and treatment-related activity such as treatment literacy and community/clinical engagement. We also fund research into how these areas can be improved. Details of current and recent projects may be found at "Our Programmes". Here is an overview of the key themes covered by Positive Action.
Tackling stigma and discrimination
People affected by HIV and AIDS have experienced stigma and discrimination since the first appearance of the epidemic. People's fear of disease and death was compounded by transmission of HIV being sexual and by attitudes to some of those most vulnerable to infection.
This stigma remains a real barrier to access to essential services, whether prevention, care or treatment. Self-stigma prevents people from coming forward, while active HIV discrimination is commonly found in communities, public services, health care and the legal system. Stigma is addressed by many Positive Action projects and is the specific target of our work with Vida Digna in Mexico.
Preventing HIV
The first step to HIV prevention is to provide information to those who need it. The second is to help them challenge attitudes that prevent them acting on that information. And the third is to enable behaviour change, perhaps by supplying counselling or condoms.
Many Positive Action projects pursue this kind of primary prevention, notably our work with REACH India, Ubuntu in South Africa and the small projects of the Staying Alive Foundation. Since 2005 we have supported the Prevention and Treatment Advocacy Project at the International Council of AIDS Service Organizations, pursuing an appropriate balance in HIV programming.
The prevention of mother to child transmission is one of the focuses of the new Positive Action for Children Fund.
Achieving successful treatment
Where antiretroviral treatment has become available, the success of that provision depends on many factors and some of these have to be addressed by and with the affected community: involving people living with HIV and AIDS (GIPA); tackling discrimination; reducing stigma; education about treatment, adherence, side effects (achieving "treatment literacy"); promoting healthy living and positive health, dignity and prevention.
Positive Action supports several projects designed to enhance anti-retroviral treatment programmes, including its work with Zingatia Maisha in Kenya and amfAR in Asia.
Building capacity in the community
Communities affected by HIV do not emerge immediately ready and able to tackle all the challenges the epidemic will throw at them: the formation of organisations, the building of a response and the acquisition of skills and experience all take time.
Positive Action has supported the formation of local, regional and global organisations of people living with and affected by HIV and their networks. We continue to support programmes that help to build the capacity of communities and their organisations.