Today, over 1000 young people are living with HIV in Alive Medical Services’ care. *Veronica began receiving care at Alive Medical Services in 2012 at the age of 11. Veronica tells her tale of overcoming adversity and pursuing her future goals. 

Veronica is the only sibling out of three who is HIV positive, and they all encourage her to take her medication as directed. Growing up, Veronica was usually a cheerful and joyful child, but then she suddenly fell ill. She was incredibly unwell in 2009 and was taken to the hospital right away, where she had to stay for two weeks. It was there that she was tested for HIV and found to be positive. 

Because this news was a shock to Veronica’s mother, the nurse at the hospital tried to interrogate her to find out if she had undergone any strange incident. Veronica reported to the nurse that she was one time raped by her uncle, a brother to her mother while she was 7; “this happened when I was in primary 2 and I believe I was about 7 years”. Her uncle was currently offering family support to their family and since she was a young girl, she felt like he had the right to do anything; so, he lured her with sweets and money. “I remember they were just a few coins, and as a child, I was excited of course.” 

On hearing this, Veronica’s mother was shocked, afraid, and disappointed when she heard that her brother raped his niece and always took advantage. She was worried that her child was going to take medication for the rest of her life. Veronica, at a young age, was taken through about HIV at the moment she was diagnosed. 

“I didn’t know what I was supposed to feel, because I recall being told that I had HIV, but I don’t remember crying, I thought it was like a temporary sickness like headache or malaria. It’s like I wanted to tell her OKAY! because I knew nothing about HIV.” Veronica has experienced life and health turbulences, especially around discrimination even the thought of giving up on school and medication as a child which led her viral load to go up, but she decided that she would be different and help others like her to do the same and live a normal life and today, Veronica has grown up to become a responsible young lady who put HIV at the back of her dreams because she knew she was just as normal as any other person. Veronica has been on medication for almost 10 years now and she is virally suppressed thanks to the comprehensive services offered by Alive Medical Services. 

“My family has always been supportive even up to today throughout my struggles of anxiety, though I always have those days where I want to cry, sometimes I do cry…… but my mother always gives me room to share with her about my worries, and thanks to her, I have been waving through, especially with the self-stigma that I had within myself. And perhaps, Alive Medical Services’ Victor’s club has been inspiring me throughout. They have made my life easier; I mean look at Edith, she is conquering the moon, and she always says she is MAD (Making A Difference). For the first time, I attended the youth day, I had the mindset that I was the only one living with HIV in the whole of Uganda, but when I came to Alive Medical Services, young people had the vibe of life and I felt at home.” 

Veronica managed to complete high school and proceeded to a vocational training institute, where she studied catering and successfully graduated. She is now supporting adolescents at Alive Medical Services under the Young People and Adolescent Peer Supporters (YAPs) program where she encourages them through support groups to keep adhering to their medications so that they stay well and live healthy lives. This is also incorporated with the provision of SRHR information to the most vulnerable so that they can access services as it is their right. She has challenged the stigma and discrimination that still surround HIV and has spoken about living with HIV openly and she says being a YAPS has been transformational, in addition to supporting self-testing of adolescents in the communities. 

Because she has witnessed the damage that AIDS is causing to society, Veronica says she has a greater appreciation for life and is determined to stop it all. She has engaged with schools to inform them about sexual reproductive health and rights in addition to HIV since she takes her responsibility in battling HIV in society seriously. 

“I want to live because there are so many things that I want to achieve in life for myself and the people around me. I have seen and faced stigma which makes me want to see young people living with HIV study and get good grades, I want to see them happy and healthy, I want to see them work in the best jobs and I want to see a stigma-free society where we all live in harmony.” 

Veronica is an example of a powerful girl who has shown the world that she is just a simple girl who has grown up to conquer HIV and she is beating the odds by proving everyone wrong as opposed to the latter years about HIV in the 90s and how it left so many young children orphans. Veronica is making efforts to help other adolescents and children living with HIV become the best versions of themselves and interacting with other youth who comply with recommended health guidelines greatly boosts the confidence of other adolescents living with HIV and sets a good standard for drug adherence. She initiates psycho-social support sessions on HIV/AIDs in the community including schools to transform the mindset and break the stigma and discrimination surrounding it. “I am just getting started”.