The long dark and deadly shadow of HIV/AIDS extends well beyond those who test positive for the virus. It encompasses a large number of people who never face the deadly outcome of the disease directly. David, an 18 year old firstborn son in a family of five, lives in the shadow of HIV and AIDS. Like many, he sleeps in a one room thatched house in a remote village in Malawi. Like many others, the HIV virus governs David’s daily routine and prospects for the future despite him not having the HIV virus.
David’s mother and father died of AIDS in 2005 and 2006, leaving him, his brothers (one of them now HIV positive) and sisters, in the care of a grandmother who is now in her 90s. At this advanced age, particularly in a Malawian village, she is far too weak (and undernourished) to be much help, and no one has the resources to assist them.
In spite of the insurmountable odds, David is a determined young man, picking up part-time jobs to earn enough to pay school fees, purchase mandatory school uniforms, and provide food for the family. “I raise my school fees alone. When I do not manage getting the money, I do not attend classes,” David tells us.
There are far too many Davids – fighting heroically under very difficult circumstances. Behold – the tough and determined face of Africa.