My Community

"You have HIV. HIV3 to be exact." That's what they said—HIV3. I didn't even know what that meant... No one explained it. No one softened it.

I'm Carolyne Mwinamo from Kenya, a mother of three kids, one girl and two boys. I'm a mother living with HIV for fourteen years.

Hay personas que no tienen nada bueno que decir...solo criticar. Cuando publiqué sobre la vacuna del VIH, algunos vinieron a decirme que "el VIH no existe."

Some people have nothing nice to say...only criticism. When I posted about the HIV vaccine, a few came at me saying "HIV doesn't exist."

I don't know if this will ever have a part two. But I needed to share this part now. I left—not because I wanted to, but because I had to. I left to live.

WISH is a small-group, female-centered intervention designed to support women living with HIV. The program focuses on reducing stigma, managing stress, and improving HIV care engagement and overall well-being.

HIV criminalization is an amalgamation of a lot of things. It is ignorance overlaid with fear and underpinned by the need to exert power over the same people who are being feared.

To anyone who feels stuck, lost, or overlooked: Keep going. Your breakthrough might just be one bold step away.

Dating while living with HIV can be empowering, joyful, and deeply fulfilling—but it also comes with moments of vulnerability, especially when it comes to disclosure.

It all seemed like talk – until it happened... Words could never do this journey justice. But I will try.