Chiva
Working to enhance the outcomes for children and families living with HIV
Chiva, the Children’s HIV Association, supports children, young people and young adults growing up with HIV across the UK and Ireland, along with their families and the health professionals who care for them. As a specialist charity, it understands both the clinical and everyday sides of living well with HIV.
Its team works inside HIV clinics and makes home visits, helping with the wider impact of HIV and supporting the move from children’s to adult services. Chiva also brings young people together through regional meet-ups, a summer camp, creative projects and coaching, so nobody has to face it alone.
Young people gain friends who understand, the knowledge to manage their health with confidence, and a voice in the services built for them. Through youth committees, they help shape Chiva’s work and challenge the stigma around HIV, so the next generation grows up with more openness and less fear.
2018
Year they joined the Raise Your Hands platform
2,000
Children and Young People supported last year
Why they’re needed
Most children growing up with HIV in the UK were born with it, and many have grown up keeping it hidden from friends, school and even wider family. Living with a long-term condition that is still so misunderstood can feel isolating, and without anyone to talk to, questions and worries often stay unspoken.
HIV treatment means taking medication every day, for life. That can be hard at any age, and especially in the teenage years, when daily pills are a constant reminder of something young people may still be coming to terms with. Many families are also juggling money worries, bereavement or caring responsibilities alongside it all.
As most young people growing up with HIV are now young adults, the move from children’s clinics to adult services matters more than ever. It is a time of big change, and the right support helps young people stay on top of their health while building the independence to plan their own futures.
How they do it
Through Chiva Support, staff work in HIV clinics and make home visits across Wales, Bristol and the South West; London and the South East; Birmingham and the Midlands; and Sheffield and Yorkshire. They help with the wider effects of HIV and guide young adults through the move into adult care.
Regional meet-ups mix learning about HIV with time to relax, from cooking and cinema trips to bowling and surfing. Each summer, Freedom to Be Camp gives 11 to 17-year-olds a week of educational and creative workshops, adventure sports and friendship in a safe space, supported by volunteers aged 18 and over.
For 18 to 25-year-olds, The Blueprint combines monthly online group sessions with one-to-one coaching on confidence, money skills, mental health and HIV. Art Is Key, run with Turtle Key Arts, brings 17 to 25-year-olds together with professional artists to turn their experiences into music, drama, spoken word or podcasts.
Families can join an annual residential, and mothers in London have their own meet-ups. Chiva also runs a network for health professionals, with an annual conference, regular education meetings and peer-reviewed clinical guidelines, so care keeps improving for every child growing up with HIV.
Find out more about Chiva’s amazing work
José’s Story
José is a deaf boy who goes to a boarding school for deaf children and lives in care. He had only just learned about his HIV status when he arrived at Chiva’s camp, and had never knowingly met anyone else living with HIV. Chiva arranged for two British Sign Language interpreters to join him for the whole week, so he could take part in everything.
At first, José was quiet and anxious, spending most of his breaks with his interpreters. Then he bonded with his key worker, a young adult volunteer who had also grown up with HIV and who gently helped him get to know the other young people. As the week went on, José found his feet, and on the football pitch, his skills soon spoke for themselves.
By the last day, he was asking lots of questions in the workshops and wanted to speak to his doctor to learn more about his HIV and his family background. Afterwards, his doctor and social worker said he had been able to reflect on what he had learned and was much more confident talking about HIV and asking questions.
Support Chiva along with 15 other children’s charities
Chiva is one of a portfolio of small UK children’s charities championed by Raise Your Hands. When you donate to us, your gift is shared equally between every charity in the portfolio.
One donation. 16 small charities. 16 ways to change a young life.
