Catherine

Catherine is 12 and lives in Kibera. Like all little girls she likes to skip with her rope and play with her friends. Catherine knows she is HIV positive and she has many questions for her mother. Recently a child in her community died of HIV, will she die too? Will she grow up and have children? Her mother answers as best she can but it is not easy. Luckily Juliana is with us and she answers Catherine’s questions. ‘Look at me’ she says, ‘I was also born positive and I have grown up, been to school and now I travel the world. I have a boyfriend and I am making plans.’ Catherine starts to smile and the two of them lock hands and share stories in Kiswahili.

Catherine’s mother finds it hard to make ends meet; she is behind in her school payments and cannot afford the books. With the money from ‘Paintings’, Juliana has gone to the school and paid the areas and made sure Catherine has the material she needs to study. In August Catherine sent me her report card.