“Every individual has their own river of life and all of them have never been straight. I shared my river of life and guided other children to draw their own; at the end of it all everyone had seen how far they have come and all the good and bad moments they have been through.”

Like so many children living with HIV in Uganda, Josephine Nabukenya wasn’t aware of her HIV status during most of her childhood. When she was eight years old she came across a letter written by her mother that revealed the news—Josephine, her mother, and her father were all living with HIV. Unbeknownst to her, Josephine had contracted the virus from their mother during her pregnancy. 

Josephine was shocked by the news, but relieved to finally have an explanation for why she and her parents seemed to suffer from so many health problems. And now that she was aware of her family’s HIV status, Josephine decided to seek treatment. 

Shortly after starting antiretroviral therapy at a local hospital, Josephine was introduced to the Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation’s Ariel Club—a psychosocial support group for children and teens who are either living with or affected by HIV. 

“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.” 

My involvement in Ariel Club helped me to learn to accept my status and to talk openly about living with HIV.”

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. During her time at the Ariel Club, she used her story to encourage others to overcome the stigma associated with HIV. Soon, her own confidence as an HIV advocate and woman living with HIV grew stronger. 

“I surprised myself one year on World AIDS Day when I shared my personal story with hundreds of people,” said Josephine. “After my speech, I received thunderous applause and many people, including children, thanked me for giving them hope and encouragement. 

That’s when I stopped being afraid to speak out.”

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 U.S. Congress, Josephine’s story inspires other people to learn about HIV and fight the stigma and discrimination associated with the disease.  

Eventually, after gaining nearly two decades of experience as a leading global voice for people living with HIV, Josephine was elected to serve as a member of the EGPAF Board of Directors in 2020.  She also serves on the board of the International AIDS Society and helped launch a youth-led and conducted summer camp for young people (10 to 19 years old) living with HIV.   

Josephine earned her degree in Social Work from Makerere University in Uganda in 2018. She also serves as a Stephen Lewis Foundation Youth Program Coordinator at Makerere University Johns Hopkins University (MUJHU) and in 2016 was awarded the Queen’s Young Leader award for her advocacy work. 

Profile last updated: August 2022