Gordon's personal message about HIV/AIDS

Gordon

"My name is Gordon. I am 17 years old and a student at Maseno School in Kenya. I want to tell you about HIV/AIDS in Africa. HIV/AIDS has left 12.5 million orphans and 2.2 million children are infected with the virus.

"This is my personal experience.

"My father died in 1993, my brother Kennedy, 12, my sister Naomi, 7, and I stayed with our lovely mother until she died in 1996. I was only 9 years old and I was forced to take responsibility for our family, being the eldest, but as a child, I could not do everything.

"Since then we stayed with our grandmother. I did my primary exams and passed but could not join high school becase we did not have any money. I repeated the final year and passed with 416 marks out of 500.

"This time I joined high school. My fees were paid for by a kind teacher who offered to pay Ksh.10,000 - about £25. In my second year in high school I applied for a bursary and got 5,000 schillings - about £10. The school allowed me to stay and learn. I want to be a computer expert and I am determined to achieve this dream one day.

"Millions of children in Africa are less fortunate. I am fortunate because I am in school. But they cannot afford medical care, they cannot access reading materials, they don't have medicines. Their future is bleak. Some of them have no home and some as young as 8 are forced to take care of their younger siblings. Most of them are denied their basic rights.

"HIV/AIDS is real in Africa. As a young person who has faced this problem, I ask you to help

• ensure that all children get free healthcare and free treatment
• ensure that all children get education, especially the orphans and vulnerable children
• ensure that all children are protected and their rights respected"