Revealed for the first time in this booklet are thirteen honest, candid and highly personal stories which seek to highlight the lives of HIV positive fathers, and to serve as a catalyst for the greater involvement of men in sexual and reproductive health issues.

These fatherhood role models, who have chosen to speak out and live openly with HIV in their communities, demonstrate the complexity of parenting within the context of HIV/AIDS.

The decision to become a parent is often an easy one for many people. However, choosing to become a father is a decision that many HIV positive men are now facing and it can be a challenging one.

Similarly, disclosing their HIV status to their children has for many men proved to be a turning point, not only in how they view themselves, but also how they interact with their children.

One of the recurring messages expressed in these stories is the love and concern of fathers to provide for their children’s future, both financially and as influential role models.

Whether as a biological father, adoptive father or step-father; whether in sero-discordant (one positive partner, one negative) or same sex relationships, men help their children find value in their own lives and those of other people.

The world has made a promise to tackle the spread and impact of HIV and AIDS: governments have made declarations through the United Nations, and civil society organizations have signed on to a code of good practice.¹

Putting this promise into action requires strong commitment to leadership, prevention, care and support, treatment, reducing vulnerability and human rights. If we are to be successful, we must listen to, and act upon, the voices of people living with HIV and AIDS who are part of every community.

Acknowledging and responding to the sexual and reproductive health issues and desires of HIV positive men and fathers is vital: positive fathers are key agents of change in the HIV/AIDS epidemic, playing a pivotal role in shaping the lives of their children and families, and perhaps providing a model to better address stigma and discrimination.

There needs to be a strong focus on ‘positive prevention’, an essential ingredient when linking efforts aimed at prevention and care.

It helps people living with HIV/AIDS protect their health, avoid other sexually transmitted infections, delay HIV disease progression, and avoid passing HIV infection on to others.

Programmers and policy makers must address the prevention needs of HIV positive people which will, in turn, benefit everyone, particularly as widespread access to treatment is becoming a reality and many HIV positive people are living longer and healthier lives.

Men living with HIV not only have specific sexual health concerns which are frequently neglected, but they often lack information of how best to live a healthy sexual life within the midst of an epidemic.

In response to this situation, we have worked in collaboration with The Global Network of People living with HIV/AIDS (GNP+) to give voice to HIV positive fathers from around the world. 

This joint IPPF and GNP+ initiative is a small step towards addressing the current realities facing many men living with HIV and AIDS.

Fulfilling the dream to become a father, and addressing the corresponding sexual and reproductive health implications, including the prevention needs of positive people, will mean the re-orientation of sexual and reproductive health services.

We are committed to this work as we continue to strengthen our global response to the epidemic and to seek new ways of ensuring that those most vulnerable to HIV infection remain at the forefront of our efforts.

We must keep the promise the world has made to take action on HIV/AIDS.

Notes
1. NGO HIV/AIDS Code of Practice Project, Renewing our Voice: Code of Good Practice for NGOs Responding to HIV/AIDS, Switzerland, 2004.

This document is available as a PDF in two parts.