What is it like to grow up with HIV?

“I hated myself so much. But now I have the courage to love myself and see myself beyond this virus.”

Singing a song in class with the words ‘Aids is a killer disease’ when none of your classmates know you’re HIV positive…

Telling friends your status and then finding people are afraid to touch you…

Being told by young men that you’re ‘lucky’ they will date you.

Two young women from South Africa and Kenya who were born with the virus share an emotional discussion about how these experiences impacted on their childhood and mental health. Nomonde Ngema is a 21 year old HIV activist from KwaZulu-Natal who shares videos on TikTok about her daily life managing her illness. Jerop Limo is a 24-year-old activist from Kenya.

Both are currently in New York to speak to world leaders as part of the UN’s Summit of the Future – before the General Assembly debates start next week.

They’ve both decided to speak openly about their status and experiences to help other young people with the virus know they’re not alone.

According to the World Health Organisation there are about 1.5 million children under the age of 14 currently living with HIV.