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| This is the essay series by women living with HIV. The authors in Japan,
Cambodia, Portugal and the Philippines, write about episodes and the
feelings of their daily lives. |
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| *All writers use their nicknames. |
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Riiko |
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How do you do? My name is Riiko. I am a woman in my early thirties living in the Greater Tokyo area.
I fell in love for the first time in my life when I was eighteen. One year later, I was diagnosed with HIV. There was no treatment in those days. Being HIV positive was a death sentence for me. I was afraid of discrimination and stigma. I tried not to have any hope for the future. I suffered a lot thinking how I could accept myself having HIV.
Thanks to several new drugs which have become available, I have lived with HIV for nearly half of my life.
Every morning, I commute to work in an overcrowded train. Over the weekend, I have a drink with friends for a break. I really enjoy traveling once in a while. I am a very ordinary person with no particular talent (laughs). What slightly distinguishes me from others, however, is that I secretly go to a hospital from time to time, take medicine every day, and suffer from their side effects without being other people noticing. That is how I lead my daily life.
I would be very happy if as many women as possible could feel some empathy with us through our essays. |
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Aya |
| I am a housewife in my late thirties. I live with my husband and have no children. I have been HIV positive for almost 20 years and live a healthy life thanks to my medication. |
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Naoko |
| Hi ladies! My name is Naoko. I'm a single mother in my late thirties, living in the countryside far from Tokyo, working for a private firm, studying development in master's program online, attending workshops and meetings on HIV, having fun with friends, falling in (and out of) love…and enjoying my life! I have been HIV positive for almost 13 years. There have been lots of ups and downs since my diagnosis but thanks to family and friends I am here being myself. |
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Mony |
Hello ladies, my name is Mony , HIV widow from Cambodia. I am currently working for Cambodian Community of Women Living with HIV and AIDS to strengthening HIV positive women leadership to response to HIV.
I am happy to be part of your project because I think it important.
I will write you more about my personal life of living with HIV especially challenges that positive women face very shortly. |
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Maria |
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Who am I? I still wonder... Well I’m a 40 years Portuguese woman, and my name Maria.
It was a long way since my HIV diagnose in 1989. Living with HIV definitely and radically changed my life, my relationships, my way of viewing the world, the people and myself. Sometimes in a negative sense others more positive. Because if it’s difficult to be a woman, a woman with HIV… you know what I mean.
Nowadays I’m a volunteer at aids associations, unemployed or sometimes working as consultant (training projects) and struggling for my autonomy and to finance the projects for poz women group.
I live in Lisbon, Portugal, a very instable country (socio-economic speaking), with lots of unemployment, some poverty with all repercussions in people’s lives.
In general Portuguese women don’t have a strong place in society (Portugal is listed after Panama and Costa Rica, in a 33rd position, just before Botswana on the gender gap - World Economic Forum), the rate of women in Parliament is just 21%. And there is no visible voice of women living with HIV.
So I’m very pleased to participate in this interesting project, as it represents a way to give women living with HIV a voice. |
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Maricon |
Hello! My name is Maricon, 34 years old, a positive woman from the Philippines and currently working in one of the government agencies. I am an active volunteer of Pinoy Plus Association (PPA) and a coordinator of women living with HIV/AIDS in PPA.
I am very grateful to be one of a very few women who want to be a part of your project.
You will know more about my personal experience being a woman living with HIV/AIDS in the next few days. |
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