Of youths living on the HIV/Aids frontline

“I SHOULD have not been in and out of hospital had my parents accepted my status, but they were in denial,” says Melody Chihota (24) who came to know of her HIV status at the age of 12.

Unlike many children born in the late 90s when the HIV (human immunodeficiency virus) pandemic was at its peak, Chihota (pictured) was lucky to be tested, but her parents refused to accept that their daughter was HIV positive.

After several years of sickness and getting in and out of hospital, coupled with her dropping out of school, her parents finally agreed that she undergoes another HIV test in 2011.

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