We believe Positive Living is more than the absence of illness. It is the ability to lead meaningful, healthy lives free from oppression and insecurity. In order to ground all of the work we do, in the comprehensive notion of living positively--whether it be on positive sexuality, herbal medicine, or health policies--we have worked with a number of our partners over the past two years to define Positive Living and to use that definition to inform our programs and our policies.

Positive Living

TICAH first began discussing the idea of Positive Living in 2003 when we were collecting the treatment stories of positive friends and colleagues. At this time, it became clear to us that Positive Living did not necessarily have to do with AIDS or with HIV infection. Rather, this is the idea that healthy and meaningful lives are shaped by more than the presence of infection or the availability of medicines. Furthermore, the ability to live positively can be enabled or prevented by local or by global factors. We believe it is important to always put the work that we do in the context of the right to a meaningful life, one free from insecurity and oppression, a life in which we know our rights and can exercise those rights.

During our meetings of the Africa-Asia InterAction on AIDS, we began to craft a definition of Positive Living which we used to contextualize our discussions and compare our strategies and our approaches to our work. Whether we were focusing our attention on the reduction of poverty or stigma, on the provision of good food or the revision of policies, we found it useful to remember the range of needs, rights, and services that we all need to be healthy. In some ways, all of our meetings and all of our projects have to do with Positive Living.

We have begun to share our definition, to translate our definition, and to use it in policy discussions and in program design. This body of work is relatively new, but very promising.

We share our definition here for all to use and revise. TICAH has printed a poster with the definition of Positive Living which you can write to us to request or download from this site. We plan to develop a tool kit for assessing AIDS care and management programs in terms of Positive Living, always returning to a rights-based approach which requires informed consent and choices of treatment.

The Definition of Positive Living

The determination to live, to sustain hope, to nurture and be nurtured, to value ourselves, and to strive for quality of life are the underlying principles of Positive Living. The ability to live positively, and thereby realizing healthy and meaningful lives, is shaped by individual, household, community, national, and global factors. Good programs understand the interactions of these factors and recognize that Positive Living is a life-long process.

Positive Living requires equitable partnerships with people infected and affected by HIV and AIDS. It requires shared leadership and creative vision, and is made possible when we move away from the idea that HIV is an immediate and inevitable death sentence.

Positive Living requires policies and programs that address HIV and AIDS as a social and development issue at all levels. Positive Living requires a supportive environment that includes the following elements:

  • Basic security and needs are met (food, housing, jobs, safety).
  • The central role of nutritious food in maintaining health is evident in policies and programs and is adequately reflected in resource allocation.
  • Positive people participate in policy formulation and resource allocation and are equal partners in defining all aspects of prevention, mitigation, and care.
  • Safe and non-discriminatory health and social services are provided.
  • Spaces and resources are provided for vulnerable groups to develop their own support structures.
  • Knowledge and skills are developed to make informed choices, including treatment and fertility choices, without compromising rights.
  • Attitudes and programs that support safe, pleasurable sexuality are encouraged.
  • Shared responsibility is the core value in prevention programs - this means that programs do not contribute to gender inequality and stigma by narrowly targeting risk groups and also that positive people take responsibility for their own health and the health of others.
  • Shared responsibility also requires that people not infected with HIV recognize that they have an active role in prevention by embracing safer sex practices and by respecting the right of positive people to lead meaningful and healthy lives.
  • Programs recognize that risk is defined by vulnerabilities - such as gender inequality, poverty, statelessness, social exclusion - and not only by individual behaviors.
  • A comprehensive and client-centered approach to treatment and care that includes nutrition, traditional and herbal medicine, and quality counseling, and that is able to respond to clients' health issues holistically through improved referral systems.
  • A constructive engagement with spiritual and cultural practices addresses well-being and health beyond the presence or absence of disease and illness.
  • A constructive engagement with service providers addresses work place safety and dignity for all.

Positive Living recognizes that everyone needs love, acceptance, understanding, respect, dignity, compassion, affection, and most of all a voice in shaping our own lives.

Download

Positive Living Declaration
TICAH blog
FEBRUARY CALENDAR, Healthy People, Healthy Homes, Healthy Communities
JANUARY CALENDAR, Healthy People, Healthy Homes, Healthy Communities
MARCH CALENDAR, Healthy People, Healthy Homes, Healthy Communities
APRIL CALENDAR, Healthy People, Healthy Homes, Healthy Communities
Positive Living Declaration in Chinese
JUNE CALENDAR, Healthy People, Healthy Homes, Healthy Communities