Snapshots of GIPA: the Greater Involvement of People Living with HIV/AIDS in South Asia

The UNDP supported Project for Greater Involvement of People Living with HIV/AIDS (GIPA), led by Sahara an NGO based in Delhi, is addressing these issues. Through a participatory process an initial stocktaking/situation analysis of the experience of people living with HIV/AIDS was undertaken which provided baseline information for the GIPA Project. Subsequently people living with HIV and AIDS (PLWHA), their groups, organisations and networks have identified capacity building needs and developed strategies and proposals aimed to create a more supportive environment by raising awareness of the situation of PLWHA among the general public and establishing new PLWHA support groups. The intended outcome is more and stronger PLWHA groups capable of impacting the decision making on responses to the HIV epidemic.

The GIPA initiative works to give space for those closest to the epidemic, listen to their voices and include them in the solutions of the enormous challenges posed by HIV/AIDS in South Asia.