November 2019

Josephine Nabukenya

The Trailblazer

Josephine is earning her degree in Social Work from Makerere University in Uganda. She also serves as a Stephen Lewis Foundation Youth program coordinator at Makerere University Johns Hopkins University (MUJHU) and was recently awarded the Queen’s Young Leader 2016 award for her advocacy work. Josephine wrote her first book, Beyond Your Status, in which she shares her life journey and encourages young people to discover their HIV status, get on treatment, and live their best lives. She is an EGPAF Ambassador, and a tireless supporter of the HIV/AIDS community.
However, like so many children living with HIV in Uganda, Josephine was not aware of her HIV status during most of her childhood. When she was eight years old, she came across a letter from her mother that revealed the devastating news—Josephine, her mother, father, and younger sister, were all living with HIV. Josephine and her sister both contracted the virus from their mother during pregnancy. Her mother only disclosed her HIV status to Josephine a few years later, discovering then that Josephine already knew.
Shortly after starting ART at a local hospital, Josephine was introduced to EGPAF’s Ariel Club. “For the first time in a long while, I had hope that I could live with HIV. In the Ariel Club, we played games, wrote, sang, and read different stories,” said Josephine. “We were a family and it was fun being together and sharing our stories without the fear of stigma or discrimination.”
Soon Josephine became an Ariel Club facilitator, leading sessions to help other children accept their own HIV status and seek the treatment they needed to stay healthy. Through her time at Ariel, using her story to help guide others to overcome the challenges of a life with HIV, her confidence in the promise of her own life also grew stronger.

FAST FORWARD

Today, Josephine continues to speak out as an Ambassador for EGPAF. From her work with Ariel Clubs in Uganda to speaking in front of members of the United Nations or U.S. Congress, Josephine’s story inspires other people to learn about HIV and fight stigma and discrimination around the disease.

Country:

Uganda

Topics:

General