Positive Living
With nearly two million adolescents living with HIV worldwide, and a new generation of perinatally infected adolescents reaching puberty, organizations and advocates are increasingly investing in resources and support for children and adolescents living with HIV. In particular, as children and adolescents living with HIV begin transitioning into adulthood, exploring their sexuality, thinking about starting families, and engaging more in their communities, they need additional resources to help them understand their rights and responsibilities as related to disclosure, positive prevention, and continuation of treatment. The tools in this section are designed for use by children and adolescents living with HIV to help them navigate their worlds.
Each linked resource page contains a description of the tool, with links to either an online version of the tool or a downloadable copy. Where resources are available in multiple languages, we have provided links.
For those interested in learning more about providing holistic support for adolescents living with HIV outside of a service center setting, we recommend exploring the resources available on the Health Services and Rights of Adolescents Living with HIV pages of this toolkit.
ART Literacy Series
SafAIDS, 2008
This series of 8 booklets, a trainer of trainers manual, handouts, and activities is designed to help children and adolescents living with HIV understand and take ownership of their HIV treatment.
Healthy, Happy, and Hot: A Young Person’s Guide to Their Rights, Sexuality, and Living with HIV
IPPF, 2010
A simple handbook for adolescents living with HIV to understand their rights and how they relate to HIV disclosure and navigating their sexual lives safely. Available in English, French, and Spanish from IPPF.
iCAN Package: A Comprehensive Life Skills Package Focusing on HIV, Sexuality, and Sexual and Reproductive Health for Young People Living with HIV (YPLHIV) and their Circles of Care
SAfAIDS and UNFPA, 2017
Facilitator’s guide and participant workbook designed for young people living with HIV and those who work with them.
My Living Positively Handbook
Children’s Rights Center, 2007
A handbook for children living with HIV and companion book for parents, caregivers, social workers, health providers, and others.
Positive Connections: Leading Information and Support Groups for Adolescents Living with HIV
FHI 360, 2013
A facilitator’s guide, lesson plans, and evaluation tool for running support groups with adolescents living with HIV.
Positive Health, Dignity, and Prevention
Global Network of People living HIV, 2017
A series of tools developed to help people living with HIV, their organizations, and networks to describe, advocate for, and implement positive health, dignity, and prevention in their communities. The series includes policy standards, guidance for people living with HIV, and operational guidelines.
Positive Prevention: Prevention Strategies for People Living with HIV
IPPF, the Family Planning Association of India, and the Indian Network for People Living with HIV/AIDS, 2010
This guidance is designed for networks of people living with HIV and organizations serving them, and includes key principles, programming pillars, and prevention strategies for people living with HIV
Teen Talk: A Guide for Positive Living
Baylor International Pediatric AIDS Initiative
A resource book for adolescents living with HIV and negotiating sexuality, treatment, and positive prevention. Available in English, French, Portuguese, and Xhosa.
Understanding, Accepting, and Disclosing Your HIV Status
Frontline AIDS, 2019
A series of three leaflets designed to help young people living with HIV understand and accept their HIV status, and decide whether and how they want to share it with others.
Types of Resources Key:
Training Tools: Facilitator and participant manuals and training activities designed to provide training in relevant topics for multiple audiences.
Handbooks/Job Aids: Guidance and tools for use “on-the-job” by health providers, peer educators, advocates, or other implementers. These tools are generally succinct and task-specific.
Global Standards: Minimum standards, best practices, and aspirational statements of core principles for the health and rights of adolescents living with HIV.
Implementation Guides: Programming principles and guidelines for developing services, outreach, or advocacy with and for adolescents living with HIV.
Curricula/Educational Tools: Educational guides, curricula documents, activities, and handbooks for conducting comprehensive sexuality education, peer education, or outreach.
Research/Best Practices: Case studies, systemic reviews, analysis of evidence, and recommendations for advancing the learning agenda on adolescents living with HIV.