When Siphiwe Hlophe from Swaziland learned she was
HIV-positive she thought she was going to die. But she came through the shock
and decided to do something for people living with AIDS. Siphiwe formed a group
called SWAPOL: Swaziland for Positive Living. It now has 150 members, mostly
HIV-positive women who organize meetings to discuss AIDS and spread the message
to children. They counsel others who discover that they are HIV-positive, visit
terminally ill people in their homes, make sure they get medical care, educate
people about better diets – a crucial factor for people living with AIDS – and
battle with headmasters who turn away AIDS orphans.

    They also make sure grandmothers and orphans get
government allowances. This astoundingly difficult but inspiring work is
accompanied by a great deal of laughter and song. They seem to be saying: "I am
going to die of an incurable disease but before I do I am going to change the
world."