A teenager participating in the Special Delivery campaign and Chief of AIDS and Epidemiology, Dr. Peter Figueroa (right), discuss a Jamaica AIDS Support for Life calendar at the Ministry of Health recently. - Contributed

Children living with HIV, supported by Panos and The Gleaner Company, will be delivering letters advocating for positive change on the issues they have identified to movers and shakers in Jamaica.

Dr. Peter Figueroa

Chief of AIDS and

Epidemiology

Ministry of Health

2-5 King Street

Kingston

November 8, 2007

Dear Dr. Figueroa:

Let me first congratulate you on the marvellous work you have been doing as Chief of AIDS. I am very grateful that under your leadership, Jamaicans living with HIV now can get free medicines.

I am a 13-year-old youth living with HIV and in second form at a traditional high school. My concern is really the fact that Jamaica is a country that is filled with qualified teachers, doctors and guidance counsellors, but only a few of them are really ready to deal with issues surrounding HIV. This is most evident at school, where teachers become so cagey when they have to talk about sex. They fidget and look not only uncomfortable, but unbelievable. We are not inclined to listen to them as they themselves are not sure of the facts.

Secret revealed

Why am I concerned? Two years ago, at the age of 11, I was just a little boy living a normal life. I remember the day as if it was yesterday. I was watching my favourite cartoon in my mother's room. I remember she was in my room when she called me. She started asking me some weird questions, like if I know she loves me and if I love her the same. I told her yes and then she took my hand and said she had something to tell me, but I should keep it a secret as people will hurt us if they knew. I got very scared, but promised her I wouldn't tell. In a low voice, she said "son, I am (HIV)-positive".

I was so shocked. All I could do was stand up and sit down and then start to cry even though I wasn't really sure of what HIV was. All I knew was that it was responsible for a whole lot of deaths all over the world. For about an hour I cried while she explained about it. The whole night we were very close and are still very close. Over the years, I've grown to love my mother even more, I try not to stress her out. I have come to realise how life and time are valuable and that we need to do something to stop HIV in Jamaica.

More talk needed

We need to talk more about sex and related issues. We need to be more caring about people living with HIV. My idea is to gather a group of teachers, doctors and guidance counsellors and start a full learning programme on HIV. That means starting classes with these people, but not just any person. Try to use persons that are comfortable with the issue because at the end of the day, we would not want this programme to be of no use and we end up at the same place where we are now. You might say that persons have been trained, but this was not done with care. The point is people have been trained, but they themselves are discriminating and then expect others to do otherwise.

I look forward to your personal intervention to ensure that the persons mentioned in this letter get the training they need to stop and prevent HIV.