HIV Programme Funds Asylum Seeker Research

Wednesday March 16

An exhibition about the day-to-day lives of asylum seekers with HIV in Scotland will be launched next week at the Scottish Parliament.

The exhibition is part of a research project, funded by the Church of Scotland’s HIV Programme, into the lived experience of asylum seekers living with HIV. Dr Dina Sidhva of Edinburgh University gave cameras to 20 HIV-positive asylum seekers and refugees from Africa and invited them to tell their stories through photography.

Marjorie Clark, HIV Programme Coordinator at the Church of Scotland said: "We have been delighted to fund this valuable research.

"The project has given a voice to a small group of asylum seekers and refugees who have various complex day to day issues, only one of which is living with HIV.

"It is hoped that this exhibition will illuminate these complex human stories, raise awareness and change perceptions.

"For the participants, it has been a meaningful experience, one in which they have felt listened to and valued.

"It is now up to us to listen to them."

The exhibition aims to shed light on the complex human stories behind migration and asylum, particularly with the added complication of an HIV diagnosis.

It will be launched in the Garden Lobby at Holyrood on Wednesday March 23.

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