Tomorrow, December 1, is World AIDS Day, and in observance, I wanted to share my story.  It’s longer than usual, but important to tell.  I’ll post the first part today, and follow up tomorrow with the remainder.

 Part 1: Living in Malawi

For the better part of the last two years, I have lived in Malawi, a tiny land-locked African country of about 12 million that’s sandwiched between Mozambique, Tanzania, and Zambia on the eastern part of the continent. Malawi is the world’s 11th poorest country, and 85% of its population makes less than $1 per day.

In addition to its staggering poverty, Malawi also has one of the highest incidences of HIV. Nearly one in every six people has the disease. 

When I went to Malawi, I knew the numbers. But it was still difficult to understand the personal impact the disease was having on peoples’ lives. In Malawi, HIV is many things: a disgrace, an embarrassment, a taboo, a sign of promiscuity or weakness, a death sentence. It is not yet, though, a topic for open, personal discussion - even, I learned, within organizations working to combat it.    
 
The organization I worked for in Malawi specialized in carrying out extensive HIV and AIDS education. We facilitated conversation around the disease, distributed information to rural communities, and encouraged prevention and testing. We held radio shows with local leaders discussing the topic and spoke to the media about how to best fight against the disease. 

My colleague, Doreen*, was one of my favorite co-workers, with a quick easy laugh, high cheekbones and sparkling eyes. She continually had me laughing by teasing my American behaviors (”Why do American girls need such big bags?” she would ask, looking with scorn at what I considered a quite modest purse) and my awe at Malawi’s natural beauty (”Who cares about mountains?” she demanded. “Big, tall, concrete buildings - now that is what Malawians want to see!”)

She taught me to wear a chitenje, the traditional colorful wrap-around dress of Malawian women. She introduced me to her two young sons and her husband Hastings.  But mostly, Doreen taught me how to appreciate the luxury inherent in basic things, like eating in a restaurant. One day, I took her to an Indian café - most professional workers wouldn’t dream of spending $8 for lunch - and afterwards, her eyes filled with tears at how lucky she was.

…Tomorrow, I will continue writing about Doreen, since this is not a post about my life in Malawi.  Rather, it is a regrettable and all-too-common story about the personal face of a treatable and preventable disease that kills millions ever year.

In the interim, check out these great projects featured on GlobalGiving that both support the fight against AIDS:

Help S. African women build income & HIV awareness

Fish to feed HIV/AIDS affected families in Malawi

 *I changed names in this post for privacy reasons.

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