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 A child living positively
I feel very bad when my classmates at school isolate me and tell me that I have AIDS,” said eleven-year-old Irene Kabaka, speaking about her life during a taping of the FEMINA TV Talk Show. Irene is one of the first children in Tanzania to publicly announce that she is living with HIV, the virus that causes AIDS.
Recently Prime Minister Frederick Sumaye welcomed the FEMINA TV Talk Show team and audience into his garden where they discussed a range of issues dealing with HIV and AIDS. Among those in the audience were children and young people who are infected and affected by HIV, including Irene.
Irene, who was born on November 25th, 1992 at Amana Hospital, Dar es Salaam, knows she contracted HIV from her mother. However, she does not hate her mother for infecting her with the virus. “I will always love my mother,” she said.
It was at school that she heard for the first time that she was HIV positive. When her classmates told her so, she reported the incident to the head teacher who punished them.
She felt so upset that when she reached home, she discussed the incident with her mother. “Mother told me it was true I had HIV but if they said that again, I should say ‘Yes, I do. Don’t you have it?'
Fitina, Irene’s mother, says her daughter was diagnosed with the virus when she was 13 months old. At the time, Fitina was often sick and had shingles on her face, so a doctor advised her to test for HIV. She tested positive, and was advised to have her daughter tested as well. Irene’s test also came back positive. As she did not want to hurt her daughter’s feelings, Fitina chose to not tell Irene. That is why Irene was surprised when she was harassed by her classmates.
Fitina explained that after she was diagnosed with HIV, her husband abandoned her and Irene while Fitina was pregnant with her next child. Irene's sibling tested negative.
Today Irene and her mother live positively and are still healthy. They get a lot of support from PASADA and SHDEPHA+, and Irene has supportive teachers at Bryceson Primary School in Dar es Salaam. Irene wants to be a journalist when she grows up.
She says although positive, she has high hopes. She has not despair, she expects to realise her dream: becoming a journalist.
She advises people living with HIV/AIDS not to despair, “If you despair you will die early. But if you know your status and live positively, you can live for many years.”
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Irene is right! Live positively and you'll will live long!
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