HIV discrimination

This is a long and overdue blog, dedicated to an amazing woman and human being that I consider a sister and beloved friend.

Too often, I was told what I should say and how I should say it—by people working in HIV who do not have HIV.

In 2025, HIV/AIDS is still a big taboo in Africa. In my country, I had discussions with my relatives to know their opinion on the subject...

Puedo decir que ya no siento el mismo odio que sentía por mi amiga, pero sigo teniendo ese trauma de antes, y cuando recuerdo aquellos tiempos, lloro.

I no longer have the hatred I used to have for my friend, but I still have that trauma from before, and when I think back to that time, I cry.

It was from the second class that I really understood that I am HIV-positive. Since then, nothing was the same as before.

Last year when visiting my HIV allies in South Korea I realized that HIV stigma is still very high in South Korea, so even today you will hardly see people open about HIV.

As we enter into 2025, we are excited to share the 10 most viewed A Girl Like Me blogs of 2024. We'll add a new blog to the countdown each day until we get to number one!

The stigma is real, but over time I've learned to love myself, I've started to seek out communities of people living with HIV and I've been relieved to know that I'm no longer alone.

In my home country Burundi there are 13.24 million people of which 2.9% are living with HIV. This means 383,000 people! Many of them still do not have reliable access to HIV treatment and HIV stigma and prejudices are still widespread throughout Burundi.