“Valued Voices” GIPA Toolkit: A Manual for the Greater Involvement of People Living with HIV/AIDS

This toolkit has been written for anyone that wants to know more about GIPA – the Greater Involvement of People Living with HIV and AIDS. It has been prepared by consultants working for the Asia-Pacific Network of People Living with HIV/AIDS (APN+), with support from the Asia-Pacific Council of AIDS Service Organisations (APCASO) and the Seven Sisters Coalition. With this toolkit, this consortium aims to convince you that GIPA is both important and possible and to provide practical steps to strengthen the involvement of people living with HIV in the creation and implementation of AIDS policy and programs. GIPA is not an end in itself; it is a tool to enable us to achieve our ultimate goals: improving the quality of life of all people living with HIV in this region and preventing further HIV infections.

The processes and workshop exercises outlined in this toolkit are written for PLWHA groups and networks and community-based organisations in Asia-Pacific. It can be easily adapted for use by governmental departments and international organisations, too. This is a resource document.