We had the wonderful opportunity to speak with Lisungu Chieza, Women's Community Education Coordinator for AIDS Committee of Toronto (ACT) in Toronto, Canada. For more information on ACT, please visit: http://www.actoronto.org. Lisungu is a remarkable woman living with HIV, here is her story:

Bambi Weavil: How did you discover you were HIV+?

Lisungu Chieza: I came to know that I was HIV+ in 1996 when my late husband became very deathly ill. Throughout his illness, I never suspected that it could have been HIV/AIDS. The message and my belief then was that only the promiscuous, or prostitutes, the poor, the stupid and uneducated people get HIV. Because when I looked at myself, I had just graduated from a university, had a promising career with a good firm, had started a family, I was married and had 2 lovely kids, then ages 3 and 5 years old, so I could not be one of those people. As my mother was visiting my ill husband and observed how wasted he was becoming, she suggested that we get tested for HIV. I was shocked, I remember hating my mother for a while, how could my own mother even suspect or think that we could have HIV! She had lost a lot of her friends, seven relatives to HIV, and she had watched them die as a result of HIV, so she was very familiar with the symptoms of the disease. The doctors also at that time could not figure out exactly what was wrong with my husband, and they also suggested testing for HIV. Well, I went for the test boldly because I was so sure that it was one of those illnesses that the results will come out negative. But guess what, we both tested positive, and a few months later he died! So I had two things to deal with: the death of my husband and the fact that i was HIV positive.

My whole dreams of a happy life, motherhood, being a wife, career-wise, name it at that time, I felt were all shattered. I stopped living and started to wait for death, not just mine alone, but for my kids as well. In those days if you hear that the wife or husband had died of HIV-related illnesses, the other in a few months will follow also, so I stopped living and was waiting for death. I even wanted to commit suicide at some stage to spare myself the pity and shame of being HIV positive. My mother become very supportive. She helped me a lot to cope and live positively with HIV.

BW: How long have you been living with the disease?

LC: I have been living with HIV for 11 years.

BW: What is a common misconception do you feel with how people view AIDS?

LC: Moral judgement: 'you did something wrong therefore you deserve it,' 'only certain people can get it.' Well, before I came face-to-face with HIV, I shared the same misconceptions, after the empowerment all that has changed.

As people who are HIV positive, we should not hate all those who stigmatise us, some of them it is not their fault, they just do not have the information regarding HIV/AIDS, the facts on how is is contracted, spread prevented etc. Instead, we should focus on educating the whole community so that they make informed decisions in their actions and responses to HIV. I have been there, I know where am coming from and where I am now.

BW: Tell us more about you - what are your passions and goals in life?

LC: From the time that I learnt that I was HIV+, my life changed all together, I used to take a lot for granted. I am now a better person than I was before. When I say, 'thank you God for this day,' I mean it. When I look back, my husband and a lot of other people have died and are still dying as a result of HIV, but am still alive today 11 years later to talk about it. I feel God has kept me alive for a purpose, which is to empower others on how they can live positively with HIV/AIDS irrespective of the social stigma that it carries, for those who are not infected to take up the responsibility of taking care of themselves, so that they do not end up like me, HIV+. While it is manageable to live with HIV, it has a lot of challenges too.

BW: What inspires you?

LC: Other PLWHA in particular those that have come out in the open, making a positive difference, reading about their personal experiences of living with HIV/AIDS has given me hope. And also my two teenage kids, Tapi, 14, and Taku, 16, they have given me a reason for living. I want to be there for them as their mother.

BW: Do you feel supported by the community?

LC: I am heterosexual and I do feel supported. There are a lot of ASOs out there who provide care and support for PLWHA, though at times there may be challenges here and there, but hey I do get all the support. My doctors are very supportive and they take very good care of me: I go to Maple Leaf Medical Clinic and my Doctors are Dr. Mona Loutfy and Colin Kovacs.

Looking at say where am coming from, my country of origin is Zimbabwe, due to lack of treatment, care and support, a lot of PLWHA are dying as a result. The only sad thing is that for one to access treatment care and support, it depends on which part of the world you are living in. It should not be like that, treatment care and support should be made available to everyone globally.

BW: How did you find out about VOPW?

LC: As a newcomer I inquired about the services available for PLWA & VOPW, I was one of the many on the list. I went there and registered and I am happy with the services that I got from there and there was several of them: PWA, BLACK CAP, APAA, ACHES, Philip Aziz Centre and ACT, which eventually became my employer after volunteering with them.

BW: How would you like to be remembered?

LC: I am very passionate when it comes to helping other PLWHA to cope and live positively with HIV/AIDS.

Meet Dillon, our special friend affected by HIV

Ashley Judd, Global Ambassador for YouthAIDS

YouthAIDS Global Ambassador, Ashley Judd's Asia Diary

Featured Performer Raising Awareness for AIDS: Annie Lennox

The Concept Behind "Sing":

Please purchase "Sing" by clicking here

Annie's Call to Action: