What does it mean to "die from AIDS"? As we write this, over two million die in Africa each year and over half a million in Asia. How much do we really know about the circumstances of these people who have left us? What are the stories of our positive friends and loved ones who pass away from AIDS-related causes? As part of our active listening approach, we have begun to collect the stories of those who "die from AIDS".

Listening to Those Who Live It

Death Stories Toolkit

We believe that the experiences, knowledge and circumstances of positive men, women and children are not being listened to as they should be. When it comes to paying attention to the ways in which people die, to the circumstances of those deaths and the feelings of family members about the care their loved ones had access to, this silence is all the more deafening and destructive.

For three years TICAH has been collecting and sharing stories about how positive people stay healthy, but now we want to learn more about those who die. TICAH and our many partners in Asia and Africa want to learn from the lives and the deaths of those closest to the epidemic. We invite others to join us in this.

For those of you who are interested in helping us develop this work, we have produced a Toolkit that will provide a framework for you to carry out your own Listening project, using the same format that we have used. In return for using our Toolkit, we ask that you pass on copies of your work to share through this website and our library so that we can continue to document the realities of people who are "dying from AIDS".

In the Toolkit, you will find:

  • Consent Form

    This form explains about the project and asks that the interviewee consents to being interviewed and sharing with TICAH the story of the person who has passed away

  • Death Story Questionnaire

    This form shares the questions that we have compiled with our friends and colleagues and used as the basis for our Listening interviews with carers and family members of people who have ìdied of AIDSî.

  • Open Copyright Policy

    To facilitate translations/ adaptations of our materials, TICAH has an Open Copyright Policy. This means that we will grant permission without charging any permissions fees, royalties, etc. to translate/adapt our materials so long as you adhere to the conditions outlined here.