In Honor of Youth HIV/AIDS Activists

HIV/AIDS affects people around the world. Young people are some of the most heavily impacted by the disease and the most active in the fight against HIV/AIDS. I chose to end this week's series of blogs about National HIV Testing Day (tomorrow! GO GET TESTED!) by highlighting the work of a powerful youth AIDS activist named Thembi Ngubane. Thembi's story is all about a young person changing the world and encouraging others to do the same. Thembi Ngubane died of tuberculosis earlier this month at her home in South Africa. She was 24 and had a four year old daughter. She will be remembered by millions around the globe for her amazing AIDS activism. When she was 19 Thembi made a radio diary about her daily life living with HIV. The diary was aired on National Public Radio on her 21st birthday in 2006. In her diary she talks about things like her boyfriend, telling her father about her status, and what it is like to live with AIDS in a country where nearly 1/3 of all young women are infected with the virus. After her diary was played on the radio Thembi traveled around the United States to share her story. Her diaries were eventually played on the radio in several countries and reached millions of listeners. You can listen to Thembi's AIDS Diary here. In 2007 Thembi went to India with UNICEF to work on a documentary called "Love (and babies) in the time of AIDS". These videos are all on Youtube and I'll put part 1 below. UNICEF: Love (and babies) in the time of AIDS part 1 This is actually a five part series. Watch the other videos here. In honor of National HIV Testing Day 2009 and in honor of youth HIV/AIDS activists around the globe; get tested, stay healthy, and change the world!