What is it like to grow up with HIV?
âDonât tell anyone! For the longest time I felt like I was the only person in the world living with HIV.â Two young women born with the virus speak frankly about their experiences
âI hated myself so much. But now I have the courage to love myself and see myself beyond this virus.â
Singing a song in class with the words âAids is a killer diseaseâ when none of your classmates know youâre HIV positiveâŠ
Telling friends your status and then finding people are afraid to touch youâŠ
Being told by young men that youâre âluckyâ they will date you.
Two young women from South Africa and Kenya who were born with the virus share an emotional discussion about how these experiences impacted on their childhood and mental health. Nomonde Ngema is a 21 year old HIV activist from KwaZulu-Natal who shares videos on TikTok about her daily life managing her illness. Jerop Limo is a 24-year-old activist from Kenya.
Both are currently in New York to speak to world leaders as part of the UNâs Summit of the Future â before the General Assembly debates start next week.
Theyâve both decided to speak openly about their status and experiences to help other young people with the virus know theyâre not alone.
According to the World Health Organisation there are about 1.5 million children under the age of 14 currently living with HIV.
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Africa Daily
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