A sign reading "vulnerable people" is seen as women wait in line for food distribution at the UNMISS POC (United Nations Mission in the Republic of South Sudan for the Protection of Civilians) site on June 26, 2014 in Tomping, South Sudan. Like many HIV-infected women I have met, Eva refused to die. And that is the art she is teaching her South Sudanese sisters. PHOTO/AFP
Most of the narratives I have heard follow a common thread: A clueless woman gets infected by her husband. I know that behind Eva’s black watery eyes and Dinka tattooed stripes on her forehead, there is a story.
Our country had other pressing issues that concerned us. Aids wasn’t one of them. But a certain voice refused to leave my mind, telling me to get tested.
“That is over 20 years ago. I’m still alive and I know I won’t die soon. I need to ensure that other South Sudanese women with this virus live positively, and as long as possible.”
Eva is HIV-positive. She is a resource person for the South Sudan Network of Women with Aids (SSUNEWA), which has been supportive in implementing HIV programmes. Rarely does Eva share her “HIV story”. She is a workaholic and always in meetings, always chasing after donors and deadlines and clients.
Every woman who is living with HIV has a story. Most of the narratives I have heard follow a common thread: A clueless woman gets infected by her husband. I know that behind Eva’s black watery eyes and Dinka tattooed stripes on her forehead, there is a story.
