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STORY: NAMIBIA / AIDS
TRT: 2.10
SOURCE: UNICEF
RESTRICTIONS: NONE
LANGUAGES: ENGLISH / OSHIWAMBO / NATS
DATELINE: NOVEMBER 2012, WINDHOEK, NAMIBIA
NOVEMBER 2012, WINDHOEK, NAMIBIA
1. Pan right to left, Katutura Informal Settlement
2. Wide shot, Sunday Ekandjo walks to a shop
3. SOUNDBITE (English): Sunday Ekandjo, Person Living with HIV:
“I was so shy about myself. Am I the only person? I was like, ‘I’m nobody’”.
4. Wide shot, Sunday Ekandjo and her sister Selma sitting in front of their home
5. Med shot, Sunday chats with her sister
6. SOUNDBITE (Oshiwambo) Selma Ekandjo, Sunday’s sister:
“Sunday is a strong girl, even though she has HIV. She is a girl that likes to encourage others. She is bright and passing her exams.”
7. Med shot, Teen Club session at the Katutura State Hospital
8. Med shot, Sunday Ekandjo listening to members of NGO Positive Vibes
9. Med shot, NGO “Positive Vibes” members
10. Med shot, Sunday Ekandjo chatting with members of NGO Positive Vibes
11. SOUNDBITE (English) Sunday Ekandjo, Person Living with HIV:
“It was good to share because many of them had different ideas and different solutions to problems, and it was good to meet them. They were kind, friendly, fun, enjoyable.”
12. Wide shot, members at the Teen Club
13. SOUNDBITE (English) Graca Machel, UNICEF Global Movement for Children Advocate:
‘They have their own space where they can share, can learn, they confront their challenges. But more importantly, they empower one another to lead a life of dignity, a life which is productive; a life in which they can continue to dream.”
14. Med shot, Sunday Ekandjo arrives at a Katutura State Hospital
15. Close shot, pills
16. Various shots, Sunday in consultation with the doctor
17. SOUNDBITE (English) Sunday Ekandjo, Person Living with HIV:
“Actually, the most one is to become a Doctor, because actually I want to help young people living with HIV, and find a cure of HIV and AIDS, and just to help people that are sick.”
18. Wide shot, Sunday with the doctor
19. SOUNDBITE (English) Myo-Zin Nyunt, Chief Health and Nutrition UNICEF Namibia:
“The adherence is also very poor. They really need a supportive environment, and they always ask themselves, why I have to take this medicine, why am I getting sick regularly compared to the other friends.”
20. Various shots, Sunday playing with children
Growing up in this informal settlement on the outskirts of Windhoek, the capital of Namibia, isn’t easy. And for 17-year-old Sunday Ekandjo, her rough life was made harder by HIV.
The virus was passed on to her from her mother, but she was only told about her status five years ago.
SOUNDBITE (English) Sunday Ekandjo:
“I was so shy about myself. Am I the only person? I was like “I’m nobody.”
Her sister Selma says that over the years, Sunday has found strength despite her weakness and is tackling the challenges of being HIV positive head on.
SOUNDBITE (Oshiwambo) Selma Ekandjo, Sunday’s sister:
“Sunday is a strong girl, even though she has HIV. She is a girl that likes to encourage others. She is bright and passing her exams.”
Being part of the Teen Club in Windhoek’s Katutura State Hospital has played a big role in Sunday’s newfound confidence. Here, she has met others like her and taken solace in the knowledge that she isn’t alone in this battle against the virus and the stigma associated with her status.
According to Sunday, it was very good to share with them different ideas and different solutions to problems.
The Teen Club, an initiative supporting adolescents with HIV, is led by the government of Namibia, UNICEF and the non-profit agency, Positive Vibes.
Children rights advocate Graca Machel says that it is great that kids have their own space where they can share, they can learn, and confront their challenges.
SOUNDBITE (English) Graca Machel, UNICEF Global Movement for Children Advocate:
“But more importantly, they empower one another to lead a life of dignity, a life which is productive, a life in which they can continue to dream.”
And taking special care of their health is part of turning their dreams into reality. Weekly check-ups with local hospital staff ensure the teens follow the regimen of their anti-retroviral treatment.
Doctor Myo-Zin Nyunt, who is working with the UNICEF Namibia, said that these kids really need a supportive environment.
SOUNDBITE (English) Myo-Zin Nyunt, Chief, Health and Nutrition, UNICEF Namibia:
“The adherence is also very poor. They really need a supportive environment, and they always ask themselves, why I have to take this medicine, why am I getting sick regularly compared to the other friends.”
But those are chances Sunday doesn’t take; her determination to overcome the odds is unwavering. She says she has too much at stake: “Actually I want to help young people living with HIV, and find a cure of HIV and AIDS, and just to help people that are sick.”
