HIV-positive African women surviving in London: report of a qualitative study 1 Lesley Doyal and Jane Anderson About three-quarters of all females diagnosed as HIV positive in the UK come from the African continent. However, very little is known about their daily lives. This article summarises the findings from a qualitative study of 62 women from 11 different African countries living with HIV in London. It explores the factors shaping their survival strategies and describes their experiences in their own words. They are far from home and many live in considerable poverty, but most show great creativity and courage in caring for their own health and that of their families in what is often a hostile environment. In sub-Saharan Africa, around 60 per cent of people infected with HIV are female (UNAIDS and WHO 2004). In other parts of the world, women from African countries also carry a heavy burden of HIV infection. In the UK, for instance, around 75 per cent of all women diagnosed as HIV positive in 2003 came from Africa (UK Health Protection Agency, Centre for Infection 2004). Yet we know very little about these women’s circumstances, or their needs. This article reports on a study exploring the daily lives of HIV-positive African women receiving medical care in London. It examines the complex choices they face in living with the disease, and the constraints that limit their options. It describes the strategies they adopt for their own Á/ and their families’ Á/ survival, in difficult circumstances so far from home. The research method involved the recruitment of a sample of HIV-positive black women from different African countries, from outpatient clinics at four east London hospitals. All the women were aged 18 and over, had been diagnosed as HIV positive for at least six months, had attended the clinic in the period January 2000 Á/ June 2001, and had lived in the UK for at least six months. Approximately 80 per cent of women who were approached were willing to be part of the study. They completed a semi- structured interview, lasting between one and three hours. Most reported experiencing the interview as a valuable opportunity to talk about their own situation, and to be listened to. All expressed their willingness to be contacted again should the study be taken further. Gender & Development Vol. 14, No. 1, March 2006 ISSN 1355-2074 print/1364-9221 online/06/010095 Á/10 – Oxfam GB 2006 DOI: 10.1080/13552070500518327 95