In the nation of Lesotho—a country, enclosed entirely within South Africa, that has one of the world’s highest HIV rates—a support group called Positive Professionals is helping steer people living with the virus toward employment, BBC News reports (newsvote.bbc.co.uk).
According to the BBC, the group, started by Matseliso Lebakae, found full- and part-time employment for 20 positive people in its first six weeks. Lebakae owns Positive Health, a nutrition and health food shop that advertises through posters and radio spots.
"Many HIV-positive people come to my shop and tell me that on ART [antiretroviral therapy] they are now healthy and strong and want to work," Lebakae told the BBC. "We are just appealing to the country to help them get back into work and contribute to society rather than just providing them with a handout to help them survive."
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Beth Benne, RN, is HIV negative, but
the virus has impacted her life. She currently supervises a biannual HIV/AIDS awareness week as
the director of the student health center at Pierce College, a
community commuter school in Woodland Hills, California.
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Overheard in the Women's Forum
"I recently met a guy who is negative. I did tell him about my status and he decided to kiss me anyway (we didn't go further than that). But a day later, he called and said that he actually had a mouth ulcer that time when we kissed and he was very worried. Asked if he can get the virus from me that way. For that moment, I felt so insulted and yet I felt so bad. It was my first time having a contact with a "negative" guy."
