Girl with HIV gains hope though peace tile project

By Pryce Hadley, 16, and Anna Burnett, 15, with contributions from Kelsie Coccia, 13; Adam Gannon, 13; Clint Remsburg, 13, and Emma Roy, 13

An Indian girl stares out of a photograph, facing straight ahead, her guarded expression veiling some past tragedy and a childhood ended too soon. Sheba Khan, 13, is infected with the HIV virus. So are her mother and younger brother and sister. Four years ago Sheba’s father died of AIDS. Because her mother is HIV positive, she can’t find work. The whole family survives on the small government pension her grandfather receives, barely getting enough food to eat everyday.

8-18 Media interviewed Khan through e-mail with translating assistance from Bhawani Kusum, Secretary and Executive Director of Gram Bharati Samiti, the Society for Rural Development, in Jaipur, India.

Khan’s mother was shocked when she learned that she and three of her children were infected with HIV. They were looked upon with pity, and sometimes the townspeople would give them clothes and food, but there was no one to comfort them.

“No one was there to console a broken family,” Khan said.

In the rural area of India where Khan lives, HIV/AIDS treatment is difficult to access for poor families such as hers.

“No medicines for HIV/AIDS are available free of charge and none of them can afford the expensive medicines prescribed by the government hospital,” she said. When there is no surety of even getting food two times a day, how can we think about the nutritious food the doctor had advised?”

Khan’s family is desperately waiting for the day when her 15-year-old brother, Shehbaz is old enough to find work. Shehbaz is not infected with HIV.

“Then my mother and I myself could get proper food and treatment. Then we will not be a burden on my old grandfather,” she said.

Khan participated in a peace tile workshop organized by Kusum last fall. Through it, she gained a greater understanding of the virus that has changed her life forever.

“This is the only event in my life that gave me a great chance to understand HIV/AIDS,” she said. “Earlier I was simply told that I had been infected with some very dreadful disease which can never be cured.”

Working on the peace tiles changed her outlook on life.

“I could believe in myself which I couldn’t do earlier,” she said. “Now I am hopeful to do something. It has given me a great spirit of happy life and made me think that a girl like me infected with HIV can be of some use.”

Khan takes comfort that the peace tiles project will help many others, not just herself.

“I strongly believe that this project will give a power to the youth of my age throughout the world to raise awareness on HIV/AIDS," she said.

Khan’s compassionate approach toward children with the virus is simple and sincere.

“The poor children infected with HIV/AIDS must be treated with love and sympathy everywhere in the world.”