Youth living with HIV speak out

HEALTH   HIV/AIDS

Around the globe, 33 million people are living with HIV/AIDS, the biggest epidemic of all in Africa. So many youth advocates through different channels and associations are moving around the country sensitizing and trying to teach fellow youth about the deadly HIV virus. 

Each year, on December 1, the world commemorates World AIDS Day. People around the world unite to show support for people living with HIV and to remember those who have died from AIDS-related illnesses. 

Some of the youths whose lives are saved by ARVs every day talked to Ranell Dickson Nsereko about what it's really like to be living with HIV and why it's so important to protect yourself against the virus. This year's theme was "Ending the HIV/AIDS Epidemic, resilience and impact". 

Nambozo Judith 20, is majoring in tours and travel course at university. She spends weekends going to church and helping out around the house. Her closest friend is from her HIV support group in Mulago. 

Here's what she had to say about life with HIV: "I got HIV at birth. I found out when I was 16 and became very sick. I had sores all over my body and I was vomiting and having diarrhea, I also lost my appetite and a lot of weight. 

My mother wanted me to get tested because she had been diagnosed with HIV already. My hopes were raised when we went to counselling and I learned that I can still live longer with HIV, as long as I take my ARVs. I don't get sick anymore and I'm just like any other beautiful, healthy girl. 

Everyone at home is very supportive; my family is well-versed in HIV, because my mother, uncle and older sister are HIV-positive, too. 

As for my future, I want to complete high school, then go to accounting school or maybe become a doctor because I admire the way my doctors have treated me.

To girls with HIV, I want to tell them that HIV doesn't have to change their future plans they should strive to reach their goals and keep healthy. To girls who are HIV-negative, I say abstain and if you are sexually active, use protection and get tested regularly. Know your status!" 

Kemigisa Victoria; She lives in Kawempe with the family she works for during the week and spends weekends at her home village kazo.

Here's how HIV has affected her life: "In December 2007, I was very sick: I was vomiting and had diarrhoea and was coughing and always tired. I was scared to get tested, but I was so sick and thought I was going to die, so I decided to do it. 

I don't know for sure how I contracted HIV, I think I got it from my boyfriend. When I found out my status, he got tested too and was also positive. Now, I know that if I take my medicine, I will be alive for a long time. 

I don't really talk about my status with other people, because I'm afraid they'll discriminate against me. I have seen members of my extended family discriminated. They make other family members who are positive use separate forks and spoons. 

I am getting a scholarship to go back to school, which I'm very excited about. Being HIV-positive is not the end of the road but I would tell girls who do not have HIV to take care of themselves so that they remain negative." 

Kakaire Arnold, 17, Kyanja; A typical day for Arnold consists of going to school, doing chores, watching TV and doing homework. He and his friends spend weekends at the mall and hanging out at the park. 

Here's what she had to say about growing up with HIV: "I was 12 years old when I found out I was HIV-positive. I'd been getting very sick. I was frail and thin and always tired and suffering from shingles, coughing, nausea, headaches and gastritis all at once. 

Since I had most of the symptoms, I thought I was kind of ready to be diagnosed, but when the nurse told me, reality struck me, and my mind started racing. I was afraid I'd lose my friends if I told them. I decided not to tell anyone except for my family. 

I take my ARVs twice a day, which makes me feel healthy and energetic. Now, I don't get seriously sick, I do sports and I go out with my friends. Someday, I want to be a doctor. 

Being HIV-positive is not the end of the world, but you have to take care of yourself: Abstain from drugs and alcohol. Make it a habit to go for HIV testing, it's essential to know your status in order to live positively."

Namutebi Ruth Elizabeth; Is a 28-year-old Ugandan born on January 4, 1992, to a family of two. She is a full-time free-lancing architectural draftswoman with a five-year experience having attained a diploma in architecture. She says she was at the age of 13 years when news of her status was broken to her.

Publicly disclosing her HIV status has affected her in a way that shortly after being interviewed by some television stations, her old schoolmates went into her inbox attacking her.

As a matter of fact, she had some claiming she wasn't stigmatized and that she was lying which she found ironic because the very students sent her apologies for the way they treated her. 

Namutebi says one thing people forget is that stigma isn't a tangible or physical item that you can touch it, stigma can be felt and seen, so just because no one saw it happening to me doesn't take away the fact that I was stigmatized by fellow students ‘she says. Throughout school my skin scars had everyone talking at least that's the one thing I can't forget adds Namutebi.

Despite her being outspoken, she wasn't going to complain about students stigmatizing her and besides what will they have done about it, the mere fact that she couldn't openly discuss her status meant she couldn't express the stigma she was going through.

Another gentleman who at the time majored in water engineering made it a point to warn any opposite sex that dared to come closer to her to stay away, this is the same very gentleman who came to her social media comment section and said that she was sleeping around with every male friend she had. Sadly these are the old students who claimed to be her close friends though she says she had last heard from them while at school. 

Namutebi adds that up to date, so many of her male friends are constantly quizzed whether or not they are sexually active with her. She says society is so rotten, humankind would be them reaching out to me to know how I am fairing in life which isn't the case. Whenever she's posts a photo of her with an opposite sex, some people go into their messages requesting them to stay away from her because of her status. We forget that what goes around always comes around.

To those negative youth out there, Namutebi say not everyone living with HIV contracted it from sexual intercourse, some were raped/defiled others from accidents which involved blood exchange but mostly people contract it from their unfaithful spouses and because of that anyone can turn HIV positive anytime.

So, mind your behaviour around people living with HIV, as your busy pointing your index finger at them recall that the other four are pointing right back at you and that says alot about your personality.

To those youth living with HIV, Namutebi says things aren't always as they appear. Sometimes we make quick assumptions about people living with HIV, circumstances and situations. We judge, label them and put them into a box not recognizing that there is a much bigger picture. 

Sometimes we meet people living with HIV in a particular state, stage or phase of their life and stereotype them to be a certain way. Don't be so quick to judge. You never know when you might find yourself walking in that person's shoes. And remember changed behaviour is the best apology.

My advice to youth is: "There are some incidents that happen in our lives, they break us, deform us but they mould us into the best version of us and same thing happened to me.I questioned my existence, that why am I even alive? 

Live your life fully, accept yourself the way you are. Be kind to yourself and only then can you be kind to others. Love yourself and spread that love. Life will be hard, there will be humps, trails but that will only make you stronger. When you accept yourself the way you are, the world recognizes you. It all starts from within. Things and people who are meant to be with you shall be with you so stop crying about the things and people you have lost.

Eva Nakato; I realized I had HIV when I was around 11 years old and by then I was in primary six and I guess it wasn't advisable to tell the young me about my status. I got the virus through blood transfusion from my mom while she was giving birth. My late mom was positive, and my dad is negative. 

My family has been always and is so supportive, they have never disappointed me at any point. It's a very hard process starting the dosage especially when you get to know that it's going to be part of your life for forever, besides the medication side effects at the start of being dizzy and lazy, you later get used to it and don't make it a big deal. 

I have big dreams that push me to take my medicine all the time and a son to look after. I am on second line of the medication, I am friends with my medicine because I know it's what is going to make me see tomorrow because being an advocate, I have to lead by an example and I also set an alarm for my medicine and for my next appointment. Currently, it's not a big deal of how people react about my status, I don't care about the stigma and discrimination.

The only challenge was then the stigma from people and friends because of my status, threats to burn my sister and losing my mom to cancer which was a big blow but in school, I have never been bullied in my entire life though indirectly people do. 

Since I came out publicly, people accepted who I am, and I don't care what people say about me. Through different outreaches, music dance and drama, I and a group of youths are spreading the gospel of safety and empowering other youth that are positive to live happily and to accept the fact that they have the virus. I have been awarded the youth service award personality by voice achievers award Kenya.

My advice to the negative youth is that HIV is real, and you shouldn't be negligent, it's not fun having HIV, always test and if possible, for those in relationships go to the counsellor and disclose to one another about your status. Always be supportive of each other. 

To the positive youth, take your medication, always check-in for your next appointment, make your balanced diet a friend to improve your immunity, avoid stress and if you want to disclose look for a person you trust and always grab opportunities that can take you places. Be ambitious and have self-esteem, let positivity flow from you all time every time. I am a diploma holder in art and design, and I am hoping to go back to upgrade.