Hello. I'm Steve Myserco.

 

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　　And I'm Mike Procter. Welcome to Spotlight. This programme uses a special English method of broadcasting. It is easier for people to understand, no matter where in the world they live.

 

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　　Today's Spotlight tells about four African women who live hundreds of kilometres apart. They do not know one another, yet their stories have a common theme. They all turned a negative situation into a positive experience. Their stories offer hope to all of us.

 

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　　"I could not believe it when I was told I had an HIV-related infection. I locked the door and I cried for two hours. I could not take it. I did not know how I was going to face it."

 

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　　Patricia lives in Kenya. She is a church leader. She helps many people. She could not believe it when doctors told her that she was HIV positive. She knew that the HIV virus led to the AIDS disease. Patricia lost her job and her home. And her friends left her. She was alone. Later she said that her only friends were her children. And her children suffered too. Other children rejected them.

 

　　In the past, Patricia had believed that HIV/AIDS was a curse from God. She had thought that people who got it were being punished for sexual wrongdoing. She also believed that God would protect innocent people from HIV. But then she became infected. When she discovered that she was HIV positive she was very shocked. During the next four years she struggled. But then, she found a way to become more positive about her situation. She says

 

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　　"Then God changed my heart. I had peace. I realised that I could be part of a solution to this problem".

 

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　　Four years had passed, and Patricia was still alive and well with the help of antiretroviral drugs. She learned more about HIV/AIDS and then she thought:

 

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　　"The church needs to know more about this".

 

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　　Patricia found it difficult to change the negative way people thought about HIV/AIDS. But she continued to try. She kept talking to people and encouraging them. She continues to do this today. She also advises people who are not sure if they have HIV/AIDS. She tells them to take the test: that is the only way they can know. As well as this, Patricia cares for people who are suffering with the condition. She helps their children. She has five children of her own, and five orphans. These are children whose own parents have died.

 

　　Today, Patricia works for an international aid group called Tearfund. She is its ‘HIV ambassador'. She travels the world teaching people about HIV/AIDS. Recently she was in London. A BBC reporter asked her about her health. She said:

 

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　　"I am brilliant. I am good. I wish people could see me. They would not believe that I have HIV!"

 

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　　Kate is a girl who lives in Uganda. When she was still at school, she discovered that she was HIV positive. She spoke about one of her trips to a local hospital:

 

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　　"People asked why these HIV positive patients were in the hospital. They said that such patients should go back to the slum areas. That is how people are. You cannot change their minds. And it was not my fault that I had HIV/AIDS."

 

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　　Kate now receives medicine to help her live with HIV/AIDS. But she has been very sick many times. She missed school for two years. She talks about Mildmay, the wonderful hospital which was set up in London one hundred years ago. Mildmay cares for people suffering from HIV/AIDS. It has branches in several African countries, including Uganda. Kate has had to spend much time in hospital. There, she joined a children's singing group - a choir. Recently the choir visited England and performed on the radio. This was an exciting time for all the children. Hearing these happy children helps people to see that HIV/AIDS does not mean an end to the good things in life.

 

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　　Speciose is a woman in Rwanda - a country not far from Uganda. Speciose was a prostitute - a woman who offers sex for money. And Speciose caught HIV/AIDS. Her only child died, and she now cares for seven orphans. When she was told she had the infection, she lost all hope.

 

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　　Then Speciose joined a programme called Good Samaritan. The name comes from a famous story told by Jesus Christ. It tells how religious people failed to help an injured man. The only person who helped him was a foreigner. The foreigner was from a country called Samaria. Today, people talk about ‘the Good Samaritan', meaning someone who freely helps a person in need.

 

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　　In Rwanda, the Good Samaritan programme teaches people not to hate people who are living with HIV/AIDS. It teaches how to accept and support them. The programme uses the Christian Bible to show God's love for people who suffer. It also helps people to feel good about themselves. Because of the programme Speciose has found peace and hope. She now teaches other people to care for those with HIV/AIDS. And Speciose helps people in many ways, including filling in the forms they need to get their medicines.

 

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　　There are many other people who live with HIV/AIDS and yet have found hope through helping other people. Musa lives in South Africa. She was one of the first South African woman to tell people that she was living with HIV/AIDS. She began a programme to inform people of the health problems that women have. The government asked her to organise classes to teach people about HIV/AIDS. She is also a musician and has made a recording of Christian songs.

 

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　　Teresa lives in Malawi. Her brother and her niece died from HIV/AIDS. People treated her unkindly because of this. She knew what it was like to be rejected. So, she decided to start helping other people living with HIV. She went to their homes, she prayed with them, she listened to them. Sometimes she walked eight hours a day to reach villages. She saw that people had many needs. So she started an organisation called ‘Somebody Cares'. ‘Somebody Cares' aims to improve the lives of people living in poverty, and those living with HIV/AIDS. It also encourages local churches to help to change these people's lives.

 

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　　Organisations like this help many people. They help in ways such as credit, child protection, food, health education, and learning to read. And the people who help are also helped. They show that life with HIV/AIDS can still be a very positive life.

 

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　　The writer of today's programme was Shelagh Godwin. The producer was Marina Santee. The voices you heard were from the United Kingdom. All quotes were adapted and voiced by Spotlight. This programme is called ‘Living with HIV/AIDS'. You can find it on our website: http://www.radio.english.net

 

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　　Do you know of examples of how people have been helped by helping others? Tell us about them. You can write to by email at radio @ english . net. Thank you for listening to Spotlight today. Goodbye.