Living with HIV and making the decision to tell people takes a lot of courage. But people on ARVs do better if they have the support and love of their family. You can keep it a secret from many people, but chances are you are going to need some good people on your team to support you.

Think about who to tell
You don’t have to tell everybody. You can choose. Who are the special trustworthy people who can help and support you with your HIV treatment? They may be people in your family, a teacher, someone among your friends, those who go to church with you and even people at school or work.

If you are taking ARVs, it is critical that you take them at the right time and never miss or stop. This is called adherence and it means you have to stick to the programme. You will need people who support you with this.

Telling people your status takes courage and you can find that courage.

Look around at your school or health facility for posters of local support groups. You can join and meet others living with HIV in person or online. Facebook: Youth Alive Zambia Facebook: Young4RealZambia