New House of HIV foundation

Inspired by the 2022 exhibition of the same name about 40 years of community initiatives in the Netherlands, the House of HIV Netherlands foundation, established on 9 December 2024, continues to archive and document Dutch HIV history.

Dream

‘The exhibition two years ago triggered a lot in several people. That should not be lost,’ says Bertus Tempert, chairman of the new foundation. ‘These stories – it is our history – must be collected and documented and remain available to a wider audience AND we want to make the connection to young people. On top of that, the first generation of people with HIV and AIDS is quite different from the people who contract HIV now. Moreover: the first group is heading towards their nineties and will soon be gone. We feel some urgency to record their story. Our dream is to eventually realise a physical House of HIV, where past, present and future of (living with) HIV can meet.’

Healing effect

Leo Schenk, initiator and co-founder of the foundation, also sees the added value of collecting testimonies for the people who have lived it. ‘Not everyone is looking forward to retrieving the – in many cases – painful memories from that time. But the healing effect of sharing vulnerable testimonies should not be underestimated. It is also a monument to all the people we lost.’

The other board members are Dr Jesse van Amelsvoort (secretary) and Pieter Brokx (treasurer).

Collecting stories

Over the next few years, the foundation will collect more stories from people who witnessed the first AIDS years until the advent of effective HIV treatment in 1996. A second phase of this initiative will focus on testimonies from after 1996 until now.

All stories will be reflected in the yet-to-be-built community archive at houseofhiv.nl.

Become a volunteer or share your story?

Would you like to volunteer for our foundation, or would you like to share your story? Email info@houseofhiv.nl and we will get in touch with you.