DARIA

I AM

Two years ago I got a position as the Public Relations manager for the International Treatment Preparedness Coalition in Eastern Europe and Central Asia (ITPC EECA). I studied very hard every day, learning something new about HIV and AIDS, and building an understanding why it is so important to fight stigma and discrimination.

Now, I write daily articles about HIV, prepare videos and photos, and study issue such as access to treatment and diagnostics.

OPEN

I am not living with HIV myself; My story is about how a little girl came to work in the field of HIV and AIDS, knowing absolutely nothing about it which does not mean that I cannot help others.

When I first learned about HIV I did not understand why not all people receive medication and why people still die from AIDS. In my country, there are still people that are not receiving HIV medication. Studying the problem deeper, I could no longer remain indifferent. I understood that HIV can affect everyone, so my duty is to educate and help.

I hope that my story can serve as an example that every person, regardless of their HIV status, can support people living with HIV. I am not the only one who works in the field of HIV without having HIV. It doesn’t matter if you have HIV or not, what matters is that you can help others. Therefore, every day I fight against stigma and discrimination, share useful information about new research and debunk myths about HIV.

I believe that if I manage to save the life of at least one person with HIV, this is already a victory.

“Happiness can be found even in the darkest of times, if one only remembers to turn on the light.”