So many of our dreams at first seem impossible but when we show the will, they soon become inevitable. Yes! Am living testimony that our dreams can come true if we have the courage to pursue them. A few months ago I left our capital city, Kampala (Uganda), for my hometown...jobless but armed with the drive and desire to help young children and no clue of where to begin. Today, I have a Kindergarten and Daycare and have an enrollment of over 80 children. It has been a humbling and beautiful experience right from the day the first child reported for school in early February till we closed for...
joyaloyo's blog
As the world celebrated World AIDS day a few days ago, I was celebrating the accomplishment of a dream I have had for several years now. A few years ago I had an opportunity to work with young children and I loved the experience and at that point I knew that my passion was with these beautiful angels. I knew then that one day I would dedicate my life to making a difference in the lives of these young angels. Later though with the discovery that I was HIV infected, my life turned into something else and my dream seemed to disappear with it. A few times I was given the opportunity to love these...
For me, not anymore!! A few weeks ago, my lovely cousin Jane (not real name) was killed together with her Fiance in a tragic road accident. Jane was in her early 30s, a very hardworking nurse, full of energy , very optimistic, kind but above all she was free of HIV, though her passion was HIV research. It was such a blow to the family and at the funeral, from what was being said, I noticed many people still don't have time to think of death and those that do, do not even want to talk about it. While deep in thought I realised that one of the greatest fears we as people living with HIV have, is...
Yes! I now know better because, just like many HIV+ women, I thought that men like us would probably treat us better and be a little kinder because they could relate to what was happening in our lives...but sisters do not be fooled! I met Dan (not real name) about two years ago when I and my son's father decided to separate, because in our ignorance, he thought he needed an HIV free woman and I thought the best for me would be an HIV+ partner. Dan seemed like an angel on earth so I thought, but i was terribly mistaken. A few months into our relationship I conceived, which was a highlight for...
Definitely “ No!”. I carry it and many of its kind every other day and for those that look at it, a few beautiful words is all they may see and maybe for those that have an understanding of HIV, the red ribbon on the bag may catch their eye. For me though, its more than just a bag but a reminder everyday that nothing I have been through has to keep me from my destiny as long as i have the right attitude. These precious shoulder bags have encouraging words that give me hope, that let me know that because I have HIV I don’t have to sit around all defeated. They help me to take control of my...
A few days ago I was trying to relax after a hectic day when my phone suddenly rang. I love phone calls so you can imagine how fast I rushed to answer it and when I saw the caller ID, I was even more excited. It was one of my beautiful friends, Mandy. She is HIV positive too and she needed my help in picking up her drugs at our clinic the next day because she was not in a position to do so and I quickly agreed. After a few laughs here and there, I ended the call but as I put down my phone I just decided to retrace where all this friendship had started from. About two years ago I was on a...
My name is Joy, I am 32 years old, a mother to a handsome 4 year old boy and HIV positive. I live in Kampala, the capital city of Uganda. It all started about 8 years ago when after finishing university on the course of my first job i met an older man who blinded me with material things and in return infected me with the virus. It was later, until about 5 years ago, when on an antenatal (prenatal) visit when I was expecting my only child that I confirmed what I had all along suspected. It was a challenging time for me because without a support group to help me cope with discordance...