Stories of Hope

Lungile: Swaziland

My name is Lungile, and I am 22 years old. In 2009, while pregnant with my first child, I tested positive for HIV. At the time, I felt so healthy that I didn’t think that it was possible for me to be HIV-positive. Upon hearing the news, I wasn’t that upset. I shrugged. “It’s just life,” I told myself. Many people are HIV-positive, and they stay healthy if they take care of themselves.

Agnes: Cameroon

My name is Agnes, and I am proud to say that I was not so carried away after discovering that I was HIV-positive. I accepted my diagnosis and started searching for the best way forward.

Mercy: Cameroon

Mercy did not believe she could ever be HIV-positive. But during her second pregnancy in 2002, Mercy was diagnosed with HIV. Life became more difficult for her in 2006 when her husband, also HIV-positive, passed away. Fear, discouragement, and resentment gripped her.

Ma Agnes: Cameroon

My name is Agnes, and I am a widow living with five grandchildren. I was diagnosed with HIV about 10 years ago. At that time, it was not that difficult for me to handle the news of my diagnosis at first, because my husband and our three children were near and supported me. However, my husband passed away a short while later; although my first two children were both married, his death increased my responsibility in taking care of my youngest child.

Teleza: Malawi

For Teleza, getting tested for HIV was a new beginning. She came to the antenatal clinic at Bwaila Hospital, a major maternity hospital in the capital city of Lilongwe, Malawi, when she was pregnant last year. She got tested for HIV for the first time there, and when the result came back positive, Teleza says she felt like she could finally take control of her health.

Rafina: Mozambique

My name is Rafina. I am 24 years old and live in Balama District, Cabo Delgado Province, Mozambique. I first became sick in 2000 with chronic diarrhea. In 2008, I developed a terrible cough and was diagnosed with pulmonary tuberculosis. I took medicine for six months, but the cough would not stop. I was five months pregnant at the time, and during a routine prenatal care visit, I was tested and diagnosed with HIV.

Paulina & Carlos, Mozambique

My name is Paulina. I am 18 years old and live in Matutuine District, Mozambique. In 2007, when I was 15 years old, I became pregnant and went to the local health center for my first prenatal visit. At the clinic, I was tested and received the diagnosis that I was HIV-positive.

Yasin: Tanzania

Yasin is 13 years old and lives with his grandfather in Urambo District, Tanzania. When he was nine, Yasin got sick and his health rapidly deteriorated. His grandfather took him to the Foundation-supported Urambo District Hospital, where a doctor diagnosed him as HIV-positive

Potso: Lesotho

My name is Potso, and I’m 30 years old. I live in Mokhotlong District, Lesotho. My village, called Polomiti, is high in the mountains. The nearest town, Mapholaneng, is 30 minutes away on horseback. The weather in Mokhotlong is very difficult. There is heavy rain in summer and lots of snow in winter. When the weather is bad, it is nearly impossible to travel anywhere by car or motorbike. The only way to get around is on foot or horseback.

Daniel: Lesotho

My name is Setloboko but you can call me Daniel. Daniel is my English name and I love speaking English. I love to sing in English too. I am 17 years old and I live with my grandmother in Molika-liko village, high in the mountains of Lesotho in Mokhotlong district. My younger brother and I came to live here after my mother died in 1997. After we moved here my brother grew sick. He also died in 1999.