Women, reproductive rights, and HIV/AIDS could use for assessing whether the reproductive health needs of women affected by HIV and AIDS were being addressed locally (10). An underlying assumption was that many NGOs and CBOs are unable to conduct large- scale baseline and follow-up surveys and are, therefore, not in a position to measure percentage increases and decreases in various indicators. However, many orga- nizations can collect information useful for assessing whether some progress has been made in fulfilling com- plete reproductive rights for women living with HIV. The monitoring tool included a set of 17 benchmarks with accompanying questions relating to voluntary HIV counselling and testing, sexual assault, contraception, termination of pregnancy, assisted reproduction, foster care, adoption, and antiretroviral therapy and fertility issues. For example, one benchmark was: “All organiza- tions serving HIV-positive women address all available legal options for preventing and avoiding unwanted pregnancy.” The accompanying questions to orient data collection were: How many organizations have created materials specifically for women living with HIV that discuss options for avoiding unwanted pregnancies, such as female and male condoms, microbicide research, emergency contraception, and safe legal abortion? What kinds of materials are available? Data to answer the questions could be gathered thro- ugh both qualitative (in-depth key-informant interviews, focus groups) and quantitative means (surveys). Some benchmarks could be assessed through facility visits or reviewing available documents issued by relevant orga- nizations; for example, a review of policy statements could indicate whether agencies serving HIV-positive women publicly endorse documents listing their repro- ductive rights. In 2004-2005, Ipas partnered with six civil society organizations to collect field data in seven countries us- ing the monitoring tool (11). These partner organizations, which each produced their own country reports, were: The Federation for Women and Family Planning in Po- land, the Foundation for Studies and Research on Women (FEIM) in Argentina, the Gender AIDS Forum (GAF) in South Africa, ICW in Lesotho and Swaziland, Punto de Encuentro de la Comunidad, AC (PECAC) in Mexico, and Women Fighting AIDS in Kenya (WOFAK). As the overall project coordinator, Ipas provided sample consent forms, sample questions for interviews, and feedback on focus-group guides developed by part- ners. FEIM, GAF, and ICW adapted the questions slightly for their respondents. GAF, ICW, and WOFAK also organized focus-group discussions with respondents. All the partners reviewed documentation on HIV/AIDS- 415 related policies, laws, regulations, and programmes within their countries and a selection of IEC materials. Ipas col- lated information from reports by the partners to produce an overall report comparing findings. Respondents of ICW in Lesotho and Swaziland in- cluded HIV-positive women from urban and rural areas throughout those countries. The other NGOs assessed services on a more local level, including both women living with HIV and representatives of state and civil society organizations involved in HIV/AIDS-related work. In Poland, the Federation interviewed key-in- formants in the cities of Szczecin and Warsaw. FEIM conducted interviews in the Argentine capital of Bue- nos Aires and a community in Buenos Aires province. WOFAK recruited respondents in the Kenyan cities of Kisumu, Mombasa, and Nairobi. GAF carried out its research in three areas of KwaZulu Natal province close to the cities of Durban and Pietermaritzburg. Finally, PECAC interviewed key-informants in Chetumal, the capital of the Mexican state of Quintana Roo, and in Orthón P. Blanco, a larger community in that state. RESULTS Literature reviews Contraception for HIV-positive women The literature showed that agencies, such as World Health Organization (WHO), United Nations Joint Pro- gramme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS), and United States Agency for International Development (USAID) agree that preventing unintended pregnancies among HIV- positive women is a key way to prevent transmission of HIV to babies (10,12-14). Nevertheless, the reviewed family-planning materials and counselling guidelines produced for developing countries not uncommonly failed to address HIV in detail. WHO states that most contraceptive methods are ap- propriate for HIV-positive women based on current re- search evidence (15), but some considerations concern- ing different methods should be addressed in relation to HIV/AIDS. For example, women need to be informed that use of condoms together with another modern con- traceptive can lower their risks of unintended pregnan- cies since rates of accidental pregnancy are higher with male and female condoms than with methods, such as pills, injectables, and implants (15). WHO has advised against generally recommending use of diaphragms and cervical caps by HIV-positive women, unless other more appropriate contraceptive methods are unavail- able or unacceptable to women and further advises against initiating use of an intrauterine device (IUD) in women suffering from purulent cervicitis, chlamydial