About GIV  | 

We are a group that fights for the rights of people living with HIV/AIDS and of the most vulnerable population to HIV infection. We are a non-profit organization that is devoid of any prejudices and independent of connections to any political party or religious interests.

GIV has realized that people infected with HIV were in need of a political leadership and that is one of the most important GIV's attribute. "No one does or tells what PLWHA need or have to do. It is a PLWHA's prerogative to get involved in the processes and take the decisions about their lives".

In this way, a space was created in which people living with HIV/AIDS are not the subject of paternalistic, social welfarism and far from real actions. They are, in fact, the actors who build and actively take part in decisions that affect their lives and the collective history of fighting against HIV/AIDS.

GIV has established itself through its work and partnerships. It has contributed to the growth and strengthening of community responses to tackle AIDS and has also assumed its important role among those civil society institutions that are involved in this field.

We have been involved technically and politically in most important decisions and claims referring to people living with AIDS such as the fight for free access to medicine; constitution of forums and national coordination meetings between AIDS/NGOs; and the fight to guarantee the rights for people living with HIV.

Mission

GIV's mission is to fight for the rights of people living with HIV/AIDS and the most vulnerable populations to HIV infection.

Goals

GIV has the following priority goals to ensure support to those people who find themselves infected by HIV. It aims to promote the continuity of their lives in all its aspects:

• Contribute to the empowerment of people living with HIV/AIDS to ensure access to their fundamental rights;

• Promote social inclusion for people living with HIV between themselves and their families, friends and professionals of different areas and segments in national and international scopes;

• Develop projects to support people living with HIV/AIDS, their families and friends;

• Seek alternative solutions for prevention and disease control, providing GIV's members and general public with updated information and subsidies;

• Seek integration with other segments: non-governmental, governmental and the private sector;

• Participate in instances of social control, in order to seek for a more effective response to the epidemic;

• Fight discrimination and prejudice against people living with HIV/AIDS and the most vulnerable populations to HIV infections.

We also carry out works on prevention issues, fighting for human rights and against prejudice, alternative therapies, therapeutic massages, individual and group psychological support, lectures, courses, workshops, experience of living groups for youth, women and gays.

We regularly produce publications on Anti-HIV Vaccine Research and New Technologies of Prevention. As well as magazines and booklets about current topics that cover advocacy, prevention and care.

GIV does not receive subsidies from public agencies. The source of its funding is primarily through donations and monthly contributions from its members. It also has a bazaar where it sells donated products it has received.

Open:

Monday to Friday - 2:00 p.m. to 10 p.m.
Saturday: eventually
Our volunteers are the basis of our work.
Our color is green, the color of cure.

Welcome to our home.

Historic

On February 8, 1990 the dream of José Roberto Peruzzo, GIV'S founder and first president is fulfilled. In a meeting in CRTA (Center of Reference and Treatment on AIDS. Nowadays CRT DST AIDS – Center of Reference and Treatment on Sexual Transmitted Diseases and AIDS), among people who had participated on the 10th meeting of patients was born an a idea to form a group to integrate people living with HIV/AIDS among each other and the society, search ways in which they could rediscover life, changes in fighting the epidemic, and still, alternatives to control the evolution of the disease.

On this first meeting were present: Peruzzo, Dinah, Toninho, Jacó, Flávio, Jorginho, Afonso e Cristal. Who stepped, first this path. Toninho suggested our name. Green and white were the colors adapted representing hope and faith in life. Dinah told us a fairy tale, and we kind like it, the little frogs tale...

The little frog represents people's fight against HIV/AIDS to continue alive, more than this to live happily!

Once upon a time, in a lake near a farm lived two little frogs. In a beautiful sunny day they decided to go for a walk. While walking one accident happened, they fell into a vat full of milk. Both of them were scared and in dispair one of them said:
- "We're going to die"!
The other one replied:
- "Calm down, let's try something! Shaking our legs, we can get out of here."
Giving up the other frog said:
-"I don't think we're going to make it.
But the optimistic one replied:
- "Come on let's shake our legs, we can't give up..."
Even though the effort and fight to live and cheering of his friend, the first little frog gave up.
Sad and tired the other one continued shaking his legs, he was alone but alive.
He spent so much time doing that, that his movements worked as a whisk and the milk came into butter.
Then he found his way out of the vat and went back to the lake near the farm and lived happily ever after

Our first years weren't so easy, difficulties facing the disease which was getting bigger, and the hard way to get through other HIV positive, in part because of the prejudice and because we didn't have our headquarter. And at this moment the HIV positive bearers were vulnerable in the fight and evolution of the disease.

For a while we worked in the house of the founder, till we got at this house, which was donated in 1993. With our own headquarter we started to work endlessly.

At the beginning our big challenge was to defeat prejudice and strengthen relationships among HIV positive people with their relatives and friends, breaking walls for the lack of information and taboos.

With Valter Galego, the second president it was the moment to strengthen these matters and to structure the group. José Araújo the third president, we lived our first debates on therapies to al l HIV positive people, that's how we started on the political activism. From the administration of Eduardo Luiz Barbosa and after, Cláudio Pereira the activism in GIV got big and bigger. Meetings with partners, workshops, training volunteers and the focus was on a political policy and the formation of HIV positive people, so they were able to work and inform. Beyond that the representations for which we were indicated brought us interchange and actions in the social field. Other incentive was the accomplishment of our goals and the recognition of our activities as a public necessity.

People living with AIDS as subject of their own stories

From the very beginning up to now many things have changed in our journey and we have many things to tell...

A lot of people were getting together and we realized that we HIV positive were the ones to fight for our rights, and this is GIV'S slogan we, HIV positive know what it has to be done.

We built a place where people are subject of their our lives and stories, they make decisions and fight as a group against AIDS.

At the first moment of GIV, the lack of life perspective and newly gatherings of HIV positive, friendliness and self help were the only tools that we had.

However, during this time, the group wasn't satisfied with the social exclusion, isolation and lack of life perspective, we realized that only getting organized we could grow stronger.

That's how GIV, without losing its friendliness got established. On this journey got professional. Its activities got bigger (nowadays we are more than 800 members) developed projects, partnerships with private and civil organization, other NGOs connected to the AIDS epidemic fight.

We have been involved technical and political in the most important demands and decision which will favor HIV positive people and the AIDS epidemic fight, such as, free medicines, federal meetings between NGO and, the rights to all HIV positive.

GIV develops works in different fields such as: vaccines, activism, women, children, teenagers, sustainability; but what we our pround is that we are opened arms to embrace anyone who look for us, and with our volunteers team we surely are making people stronger on this daily fight.

GIV has followed the changes in the epidemic and is opened to any kind of people who is affected. Today, the group as we call, is established in a sunny light house in Vila Mariana, where we are known for our diversity in sexual orientation, gender, racial, economic or literated level of people who look for us.

Under the wish of being a volunteer

GIV is, and develops works based on volunteer work. Its first volunteers were the HIV positive themselves. With the growth of the group HIV negative volunteers arrived.

In a first moment, wasn't so easy because full of good intentions the HIV negative were only compassion and pity and GIV's posture was the other way around.

As time passed we overcame differences of posture. In one of our activistic journeys was written in big letters the meaning of our existence: "Nobody is such somebody, who doesn't need anybody".

In our perspective, GIV is a group where we help each other, know that life in society is to be connected and depend on others. A volunteer helps but is also helped in learning, loving and caring. Beyond that, our big struggle is on the role of NGOs, we're called the third sector, we aren't private, neither government. We are part of society with no political commitment with government. We are focused on the empowerment of democracy, citizenship, human rights and making efforts to the human being development.

We have a cause and it's not only for people living with HIV/AIDS. HIV positive or negative we are infected and affected by this epidemic. The meaning of being a volunteer at GIV it's not to the cause, but to make part of it.

Today the volunteer team isn't identified by positive or negative but for the commitment. The weakness and strengths are all respected and beyond that we work on the formation of these volunteers to overcome the limits and fears. We must be in the professional field.

We are proud of our volunteers team for their commitment, solidarity that show and give on daily routine their best to other and to life.