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When you first meet them, Josephine Chituriumani and David Brooks Arnold seem to have nothing in common except that they both work for the Red Cross. Yet this remarkable woman, who comes from Masvingo, Zimbabwe, says she feels more like a sister than a colleague to the man from Washington D.C. Both are members of the expanding global family of people who live with HIV and/or have lost their loved ones to AIDS.

Josephine discovered that she was HIV positive in 1998, soon after her husband was diagnosed with the virus. Since then, she has lost not only her husband, but also two brothers and four brothers- and sisters-in-law to the disease. Today she, along with her aged mother-in-law, takes care of the family's 18 children, most of them AIDS orphans.

Despite her personal struggles with HIV/AIDS, Josephine still finds the strength and energy to help others in a similar situation. She works with Home Based Care, a programme of the Zimbabwe Red Cross that provides all kinds of services, from counselling to physiotherapy, to affected people in her district. "A hospital set-up is very different from the home," she says. "People who are in hospital are relatively better off. The ones who are home based are 'waste cases'."

Like Josephine, David provides relief and support to fellow HIV sufferers. As Director of International Relations for the American Red Cross, he has spoken out about his condition at many international forums and been a source of inspiration to people around the world. "I don't think I'm courageous because I have nothing to lose by speaking out about HIV. I've had a good life, and I'm grateful to be alive. An experience like this binds you with humanity, and if I can encourage other people with my stories then I am happy to do so."

David knows what it is to live with HIV, and what it is to lose a life to AIDS. He suspects that he and his partner at the time, Jim, both contracted the infection in the early 80s. However, they were not tested until 1985 due to a lack of reliable diagnostic procedures. Their doctor discouraged them from finding out if they were HIV positive, saying they would not be able to do anything about it.

Luckily David is alive and healthy, thanks to medical breakthroughs, a gruelling regime of almost 25 pills a day, and a highly disciplined lifestyle. His partner, who did not react as well to the medication, was not so lucky. Neither are millions of other people, the majority from the developing world where treatment is often unavailable or too expensive.

Access to care, treatment, and other vital issues such as prevention and education, were the focus of the United Nations Special Session on HIV/AIDS, which was held in New York from 25-27 June 2001. Josephine and David came to New York to speak at this gathering of World leaders and representatives from NGOs and corporations. They were both hopeful about its outcome.

"I have a feeling something will happen after this," said Josephine, smiling optimistically. "At the very least it will make the delegates give a ear to the plight of people, living with HIV/AIDS. It will make them acknowledge that this life threatening disease will have to be treated with affordable drugs, as were others such as tuberculosis and diabetes. Above all, it will lead to acceptance, which is what HIV patients want more than anything else. It will teach people that they should empathize, not sympathize, with us."

David was similarly optimistic. "This conference has brought us together, which is already a big step. Meeting people like Josephine has given me courage to go on. I think this conference will make a difference because of the perseverance of Secretary General, Kofi Annan. He is an extraordinary human being and the fact that he has chosen to speak up about the issue of HIV/AIDS means that people will pay attention to it."

Josephine and David are proof that testing positive is not a death sentence. "HIV is not AIDS, and people who have it should not give up" says Josephine. "HIV, if you ask me, stands for the fact that Hope is Vital'."

FIND OUT MORE about how the UN and its partners are fighting to stop the spread of HIV/AIDS. Click on the links next to Josephine and David's photo.

Photo credit: Robin Bowman/Matrix