Telling our stories: describing the experiences and contributions of African migrants living with HIV.

Abstract

HIV in the UK is concentrated in a few key populations, and African migrants are among them. To date, there has been no documented record of the personal experiences of this group to accompany the significant amount of epidemiological data on these communities. There is no record celebrating the contribution, resilience and lived experience of Africans living with HIV in the UK, their allies and their response to the epidemic. A group of African women who are long-standing HIV activists and advocates, much respected for their leadership within the HIV community, considered that it was important to capture and tell these stories to ensure they were accurately recorded in the history of HIV. Their experience spans the story of the African community's experience of HIV in the UK. They formed a steering group and the project aimed to showcase 40 stories to coincide with the 40^th anniversary of HIV in 2021.