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" HIV/AIDS doesn&amp;#039;t just affect girls in the U.S.: Around the world, 33 million people are suffering, with the biggest epidemic of all in Africa. But you can help. Each time you buy (PRODUCT) RED merchandise, like (PRODUCT) RED&amp;#039;s Converse sneakers or Dell laptops, a portion of the money you spend goes toward buying life-saving antiretroviral medication (ARVs) for people with HIV/AIDS in Africa.  These girls in Africa, whose lives were saved by ARVs, wanted to tell you what it&amp;#039;s really like to be living with HIV \u2014 and why it&amp;#039;s so important to protect yourself against the virus.  --&amp;amp;gt;  Gcebile*, 18, Swaziland (*=name has been changed) Gcebile* is majoring in home economics and business accounting. She spends weekends going to church and helping out around the house. Her closest friend is from her HIV support group. Here&amp;#039;s what she had to say about life with HIV: &amp;quot;I got HIV at birth. I found out when I was 16 and became very sick \u2014 I had sores all over my body, and I was vomiting and having diarrhea; I also lost my appetite and lost a lot of weight. My mother wanted me to get tested, because she had been diagnosed with HIV already. My hopes were raised when we went to counseling and I learned that I can still live longer with HIV, as long as I take my ARVs. I don&amp;#039;t get sick anymore, and I&amp;#039;m just like any other beautiful, healthy girl. Everyone at home is very supportive; my family is well-versed in HIV, because my mother, uncle, and older sister are HIV-positive, too.  &amp;quot;As for my future, I want to complete high school, then go to accounting school or maybe become a doctor because I admire the way my doctors have treated me. To girls with HIV, I want to tell them that HIV doesn&amp;#039;t have to change their future plans \u2014 they should strive to reach their goals and keep healthy. To girls who are HIV-negative, I say practice safe sex and get tested regularly. Know your status!&amp;quot;  --&amp;amp;gt;  Nthalbeleng, 18, Maseru, Lesotho Nthalbeleng works as a nanny because her parents don&amp;#039;t have enough money for school fees. She lives with the family she works for during the week, and spends weekends watching soccer on TV and listening to the radio with her sister, who&amp;#039;s her closest friend. Here&amp;#039;s how HIV has affected her life: &amp;quot;In December 2007, I was very sick: I was vomiting and had diarrhea, and was coughing and always tired. I was scared to get tested, but I was so sick and thought I was going to die, so I decided to do it. I don&amp;#039;t know for sure how I contracted HIV; I think I got it from my boyfriend. When I found out my status, he got tested too and was also positive. Now, I know that if I take my medicine, I will be alive for a long time.   &amp;quot;I don&amp;#039;t really talk about my status with other people, because I&amp;#039;m afraid they&amp;#039;ll discriminate against me. I&amp;#039;ve seen members of my extended family discriminate: They make other family members who are positive use separate forks and spoons.   &amp;quot;I am getting a scholarship to go back to school, which I&amp;#039;m very excited about. Being HIV-positive is not the end of the road \u2014 but I would tell girls who do not have HIV to take care of themselves so that they remain HIV-negative.&amp;quot;  --&amp;amp;gt; Welile*, 14, Swaziland (*=name has been changed) A typical day for Welile consists of going to school, playing sports, doing chores, watching TV, and doing homework. She and her friends spend weekends at the mall and hanging out at the park. Here&amp;#039;s what she had to say about growing up with HIV: &amp;quot;I was 12 years old when I found out I was HIV-positive. I&amp;#039;d been getting very sick \u2014 I was frail and thin and always tired, and suffering from shingles, coughing, nausea, headaches, and gastritis all at once. Since I had most of the symptoms, I thought I was kind of ready to be diagnosed; but when the nurse told me, reality struck me and my mind started racing. I was afraid I&amp;#039;d lose my friends if I told them. I decided not to tell anyone except for my family.   &amp;quot;I take my ARVs twice a day, which makes me feel healthy and energetic. Now, I don&amp;#039;t get seriously sick, I do sports, and I go out with my friends. Someday, I want to be a doctor.  &amp;quot;Being HIV-positive is not the end of the world, but you have to take care of yourself: Abstain from drugs and alcohol, and practice safe sex if you can&amp;#039;t abstain. Make it a habit to go for HIV testing; it&amp;#039;s essential to know your status in order to live positively.&amp;quot; Click here to learn more about HIV/AIDS and how you can help! "^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://www.seventeen.com/health/advice/a3300/hiv-aids-around-the-world/>