Source: The Sangai Express
Imphal, May 07 2013: "What a blessing it would be if the Government provides some assistance towards education of children living with HIV", said a 17 year old girl wistfully who is hoping to become a doctor.
With both her parents succumbing AIDS, the girl is being looked after by her spinster aunt (father's sister) who has given up any hope of marriage thinking for the girl.
Talking with The Sangai Express, the girl said, "Like other children, children living with HIV too, I wish to study and learn.
But because of our infection, poverty and loss of parents, we don't have the capacity to go to schools regularly".
The girl appeared in class XII exam conducted by COHSEM this year and she is preparing to sit for the MBBS entrance test.
"Although I'm living with HIV, to become a doctor and serve people is the aim of my life since childhood", she said.
She lost her mother to AIDS in 1998 followed by her father in 2005.She also lost her younger sibling because in 2004 .
All these incidents hampered her education.
In addition, being a child living with HIV, she falls ill very often and she is physically weak.
As most of the Government schools are virtually defunct, the girl was sent to a private school even though her aunt is poor.
The girl scored 58 per cent marks in the class X exam conducted by BSEM.
She fared even better in class XII exam by scoring 70 per cent.
She is currently attending a coaching class to appear for the PMT.
She also has a burning desire to go in for a computer course but it still remains unfulfilled as her aunt cannot afford the fee.
Saying that many children like her could not complete formal education even up to Class X or Class XII due to abject poverty, she appealed to the Government to launch a special policy under which educational support can be given to children living with HIV.
The girl has been taking ART drugs since class V.Her CD4 count is above 1000 now.
"When I took ART tablets in the company of friends in school boarding, the tablets were put in an Amway bottle and I lied to my friends it was some energy booster for fear of discrimination and stigma", the girl said quite candidly.
Generally ART patients suffer from various ailments like abdominal pain, thinness, muscle pain, lethargy etc.
Sometimes, they need injection of fresh blood.
At such times, the ART patient becomes quite emaciated.
On seeing such physical condition of the ART patients, some people used to say that their emaciated condition was caused by abortion, if the patient happened to be girl.
"Much as I wish to study, I cannot help if I'm physically weak.
Again, even if I'm physically fit, I'm equally helpless if there is no money", the girl said.
At one time, girl received certain benefits from CHAHA project but the project was terminated in 2011.Since then, she has not received any aid from any quarter whether similar projects or the Government.
Manipur Network of Positive People (MNP+) president L Deepak decried that the Government has not shown any willingness to formulate a policy for children living with HIV.
It would be a big loss for the whole society if the State Government does not study the problems being encountered by children living with HIV who have reached adolescence in terms of their mental health, education etc.
Even if there were instances when some boys proposed to her, the girl simply brushed aside all the proposals focusing on her studies.
At the same time, she is worried if the goal of her life cannot be achieved because of ill health and poverty.
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