Reclaiming Our Lives

Property-grabbing from widows and orphans began long before the HIV and AIDS pandemic. However, the scale of HIV-infection rates, stigmatisation, and the social and economic vulnerability of widows and orphans have worsened the situation. Targets of psychological and physical harassment, dispossessed of their property and evicted from their homes, women and children are left destitute. This collection of narratives from southern and East Africa aims to raise awareness not only about the heavy impact of HIV and AIDS on the region, but also about the active steps being taken by many grassroots organisations in response to the crisis. It is evident that, while the pandemic is biting deeply into the social fabric of communities, it is also galvanising ordinary women and men to respond with compassion and conviction, and to find innovative ways of defending and promoting the rights of HIV-affected women and children.