Transform the Lives of 13000 HIV-Positive Ugandans

“I was told a story that my dad died when I was two years old, perhaps that was 1997 because I was born in 1995,” says Malaika (not real name), a 25-year-old young lady who was diagnosed with HIV at the age of 12 in 2007 after a series of consistent illnesses and persistent cough.

Malaika was never told what caused her father's death; all she knew was that he was ill for some time as the story shared with her. The situation got worse, that's when her aunt suspected that she might have been infected by her parents since her father had already passed on. Her aunt decided to have a talk with her. She finally told her that her father died of HIV/AIDs and that she might need to get checked to rule out all possibilities. The young girl accepted because she was raised never to be vulnerable.

“I was taken to a random HIV clinic where the services were not good, however, after being told to come back three times and nothing was done or confirmed, a lady (good Samaritan) who was planning to transfer from the clinic referred us to Alive Medical Services,” Malaika said. The very next day first thing in the morning, Malaika and her aunt headed to Alive Medical Services (AMS). Everything was perfect from the services to the customer care, so she kept on praying for her results to be negative because she had learned about HIV from school.  Unfortunately, her results were positive, and she felt like the Lord hadn’t heard her prayers.

After a series of counselling sessions, Malaika felt like she had her life together. She was in a candidate class, and she didn’t want to waste her life on something she couldn’t change, so she decided to take on her father’s name even though she never met the man but rather honour him in every way possible by giving him a legacy. “I hope I name one of my children Lukoma.” She shared.

In 2009, Malaika came up with an idea of a club, while sharing with Dr Elizabeth the importance of engaging with fellow peers about what they go through and the different challenges they face as Young People Living with HIV/AIDs. She expressed the benefits of peer to peer counselling and therapy, which led to the famous Victor’s Club to be born.

Like any Young Person Living with HIV/AIDs, Malaika has had her fair share of ups and downs, on occasion she didn’t think she would live this long, now 25 years old! She has never felt more grateful like she does today. Most of all, she is grateful to the AMS family that took her in and never looked back. They nurtured her from a tender age and welcomed her talents, encouraging her to grow into the brilliant young lady she is now. “I know all this might have happened for a reason, but God knew me before I was born,” she says.

Malaika is now a graduate with a bachelor’s degree in Development Studies, and she looks forward to furthering her education. She dreams of being a wife, mother. Like any young lady, she already has names for her children as she prays for them. Malaika is already a testimony among YPLHIV, currently working with the Communications department at AMS, the sky is only the limit for her.