Women living with HIV/AIDS

Arts Therapy and Participatory Photography Project

An HIV+ woman in Cambodia may find herself burdened with the responsibilities of caring for and eventually witnessing the death of her spouse and/or

children, selling property and belongings to pay for medical bills, and being ostracized by her community. These experiences, combined with low socio-economic status, the trauma of bereavement, complex feelings stemming from the contraction of the disease and guilt from transmitting it on to children can be overwhelming. As part of the Angkor Photography Festival 2007, an Arts Therapy and participatory photography project was held with a group of HIV+ women.
Co-facilitated by Arts Therapists Paula Holme and Isabelle Rodker together with photojournalist Hazel Thompson, participants used theatre, painting, movement, voice and photography to express themselves and release their psychological pain, trauma, and stress. The workshop culminated in an insightful projection of the women's photographs; poignant, personal testimonies of how life goes on in spite of illness.