Diamonds: Stories of Women from the Asia-Pacific Network of People Living with HIV

Diamonds: Stories of Women from the Asia Pacific Network of People Living with HIV is a compilation of the personal narratives of ten women and one girl who are HIV-positive. The publication is accompanied by a documentary that focuses on four of these stories.

Like diamonds, formed under immense pressure to become the strongest and most brilliant natural substance known on earth, these women have overcome incredible challenges to emerge as shining examples. Diamonds plots the key moments in the lives of these women, from diagnosis to the realization that their voices could be part of the change, highlighting each woman’s journey to empowerment. Collectively, they emerge as a powerful voice in the global dialogue on AIDS.

Maura, one of the women featured in the book, says: “When I talked about the experiences I had gone through with my children, I could see that all the mothers were crying. It really touched them. I thought, my story is powerful. I can use it to change people’s attitudes.”

Diamonds can be used for advocacy, training and education in the region. The documentary will be made available on UNIFEM's YouTube channel in 2010.