Originally posted by the Voice of America. Voice of America content is produced by the Voice of America, a United States federal government-sponsored entity, and is in the public domain. Finding Shelter from AIDS at Nkosiâs Haven Joe DeCapua 23 December 2010 Some 30 years into the HIV/AIDS epidemic, stigma and discrimination continue to take a toll. For example, in South Africa, some young, HIV positive mothers can find themselves homeless and shunned by their families. But there is a place where they can find shelter. Itâs called [1]Nkosiâs Haven â named after Nkosi Johnson, a young, black South African boy. Nkosi was the star of the 13^th International AIDS Conference in Durban in 2000. Infected with HIV at birth, the frail child called for better medical treatment and encouraged HIV positive people to be open about their status. âCare for us and accept us,â he said, âWe are all human beings.â Nkosi Johnson died a year later at age 12. Nkosi's Haven Nkosi johnson, 13th International Aids Conference, Durban, 2000 Nkosi and his adoptive mother Gail Johnson, a white South African, had been working to help young HIV positive mothers. Women just like his biological mother. Nkosiâs Haven was founded in 1999 in a Johannesburg suburb. âWeâve got the two houses next door to each other in Berea, where I have 9 moms and 47 kids. And then on the First of December last year we officially opened our Nkosiâs Haven Village, which is a main house with lots of cottages. And here Iâve got 31mothers and 94 children,â says Johnson. The village is on two and a half acres of land just south of Johannesburg. Timing is critical Prospects for haven residents have improved greatly over the last 10 years. Thatâs because antiretroviral drugs â or ARVs - are much more available. But timing is critical. Nkosi's Haven Hillary Clinton and Gail Johnson âIâm not losing as many moms or children. But we had the death of a baby this year. Weâve got longer life span with the mothers. They look a lot healthier. But also because of the denial still in so many peopleâs minds a lot of the moms are coming just too late. They weigh about 24 kgs and sometimes we canât turn them around,â she says. Denial, stigma and discrimination, says Johnson, greatly reduce the chances of survival for infected mothers and children. Johnson says, âYou might have a 26 year old woman living with her parents and the parents will keep her hidden. So she will not be able to access the drugs because sheâll be put in the corner type of situation. Then a neighbor might intervene and itâs too late. Itâs too late to turn her around even if she gets put on ARVs.â Fear, ignorance and taboos âA lot of the moms are refusing to be tested when theyâre pregnant. So, for example, a lot of my toddlers, my two or three year olds, are infected and they shouldnât be,â she says. Gail Johnson says culture and tradition can make talking about sex difficult or even taboo. And that can open the door to HIV infection. âYou know, itâs sexually transmitted in South Africa. You know, thatâs just nonnegotiable. But in the black community, people donât talk sex very comfortably or easily. And because itâs a sexually transmitted disease they find it difficult to deal with. You know what I mean. A parent has to be open about sex to be able to discuss HIV/AIDS with their teenage kid,â she says. Upon arrival at Nkosiâs Haven, young mothers are counseled first about accepting their HIV positive status. âVery often,â says Johnson, âwe find the mom has not disclosed to her children that she is positive. So, youâve got kids moving in with us where everyone just talks HIV/AIDS because we normalize it totally. And (those children) are wondering why the hell theyâre here. So mom is counseled around disclosure to her children. And then another step further after that is mom is counseled around having her children tested if they have not been tested.â To break the cycle, Johnson says young women need to be empowered enough to say no to unprotected sex. âYou have to teach them the physiological side of sex,â she says, âthe psychology of sex. You work at building their esteem, their ego, which, in turn, will allow them to say no. But at the moment they are so vulnerable because in their culture the woman hasnât much say at the best of times.â At the same time, she says boys must be taught that itâs ok to have smart, strong women in their lives. Nkosiâs Haven relies on donations from many sponsors to keep its doors open. Johnson says she hopes 2011 will bring a better economy in South Africa so the havenâs projects can continue to grow. References 1. http://www.nkosishaven.org/ .