Peo Keemenao, 19

Peo is an orphan. Her father died when she was in Standard 3 and her mother died from complications from HIV/AIDS. She lives in Old Naledi, the oldest “squatter area” in Gaborone, established in the sixties. The house where Peo lives used to be her grandmother’s. She has a four-month old son who she is raising single-handedly as she broke up with her baby’s father after finding out that he is HIV-positive.

Peo left school in Form 3 and has been selling traditional brew (chibuku), cigarettes, steel and metal. One of Peo’s major challenges is getting an OMANG (Identity Card) as without this she cannot find employment or access services. She begs the social welfare system to give her milk for her baby. Peo has tried to get her OMANG, but she doesn’t have a birth certificate and she is not on speaking terms with her family – and she needs them to help prove she is a Batswana.

She has lots of friends that support her emotionally and who help her look after her baby. But her family seldom visit or check on her. Peo dreams of building a house for herself and her baby and to be reunited with her family. She also wants to go back to school and find a man who will love her and look after her and her baby

Onkarabele “Ntoro” Kebadilwe, 22

Ntoro never finished Form 1 (grade 8) because he opted to stay at home as his mother was struggling to pay school fees. She has since passed away. He then started making income by gathering and selling firewood, but his donkeys ran away and he had no way of carting the firewood to the market. So, he resorted to stealing and did a 2 month stint in prison. He has only just been recently released. Ntoro wants to be a kwaito star, and with the money earned from music, he says he would go back to school. But he is in a gang and is not well-liked in his village.

He says that his live-in girlfriend is his motivation,.However they fight regularly and the door to their bedroom is broken as a result of their latest fight! His older sister, Ghodo who lives across the road, gives him familial support and believes there is hope. She accepts him for who he is but, she is worried that their younger brother will follow Ntoro’s ways and she has her own family to take care of.

Keitumetse Dipuo “Ghodo” Kebadilwe, 25

Ghodo is an orphan and the sole provider for her two younger brothers, Ntoro and Othusitse. Her bothers live across the road from her in the 3-bedroom house their late parents left to them. They struggl to keep the house fighting with their aunts and uncles who want it for themselves. Both parents are buried at the family compound in accordance with Batlokwa culture.

Ghodo volunteers at an NGO – the Centre for Youth of Hope (CEYOHO), a non-governmental that targets young people living with and affected by HIV/AIDS, - getting a monthly allowance from them. She has a supportive boyfriend of 8 years and they have a 6-year-old son. She constantly worries about her brothers, wanting them to go back to school and for Ntoro to be rehabilitated. As a peer educator herself, Ghodo sees the irony that she cannot give the kind of support her brother needs, nor does she have family intervention at their home.

Barbara Kemigisa, 23

Barbara has great dreams for herself and for the young people she comes into contact with across Uganda. She is living proof of the fact that being HIV positive is not something that needs to crush one’s spirit.

She is a vibrant young woman, who is passionate about people and their wellbeing. She is a community worker and HIV/AIDS activist who inspires others with her testimony about her own life experience, giving a message of hope and aspiration. When we meet her she is a single mother to four-month old Courtney. She is trying to resolve a difficult relationship with her family and has left home, and often finds herself on the street, homeless or having to rely on friends to take her in. But Barbara’s life is changing for the better, on her journey with Imagine Afrika III she rises and shines across media platforms speaking openly to young people about the importance of getting tested, knowing your status and having dreams. Barbara has decided to dedicate her efforts toward finding a job that will support herself and her baby, and a home so they no longer have to move around.

Rachel Kyomugisha, 27

Rachel is a focused young community activist who dedicates her life to giving all young HIV positive Ugandans access to accurate information, services and support. She is a champion for the rights of young women and mothers especially, who want to have HIV-free babies. Rachel is married and is expecting her first child in a few months. She is six months pregnant and a good example of a motivated, healthy pregnant woman who takes care of her health and her medication for PMTCT. She is supported in her pregnancy by her husband Constantine who attends ante-natal classes with her.

She is down-to-earth, warm and a strong role model to her peers at the clinic and in her community. Her peers also trust her because she has overcome a lot of stigma from being HIV positive, and from her childhood when her parents both died of complications related to AIDS.

Rachel wants to see an HIV free generation in Uganda becoming a real possibility and is excited and happy about the prospect of having a planned baby.

Jackie Alessi, 23

Jackie is a confident young Ugandan community activist with a local HIV/AIDS organisation. The bubbly, talkative and very straight-forward young counsellor is also very passionate about enabling young HIV positive people to come to terms with their status and create a life for themselves. When the Imagine Afrika III i-Reporter first meets twenty three year old Jackie she is nine months pregnant and excited about giving birth to her first child.

Jackie is HIV positive but was supported by her immediate family after discovering her status and went on to help other young people. She also made the choice to enrol in a PMTCT programme – Prevention of mother-to-child-transmission of HIV – and has followed each step of the programme throughout her pregnancy. Jackie has taken the process very seriously as she wants to ensure her baby is HIV negative, and so plans to choose to formula-feed her baby for the first six months of his life.

Another interesting thing about her is that she is part of a discordant couple – her partner is HIV negative. He has supported her throughout her pregnancy . Uganda i-Reporter, Brenda is excited and tells the audience how much she is looking forward to it. She has discovered in researching her characters that Jackie has been enrolled in the PMTCT during her pregnancy and has been adhering to it religiously – and this is a big part of her investigation in Uganda in this season of Imagine Afrika III.

Nuru Kisitu, 23

Nuru is a motivated peer counsellor and a very trendy agony aunt who works with the youth healthcare communications and media organisation, the Straight Talk Foundation.

In her free time she is the leader and founder of the Youth Caravan, a community-based support organisation and drama group for young HIV positive Ugandans. The youth group has 20-30 members, all under the age of 30 and living positively with HIV. They advocate safe living and positive life choices to their peers using music, dance, art and drama. In her job Nuru comes into contact with the problems of other young people who write to her seeking advice, she diligently addresses their concerns and features their letters and her feedback in the weekly Straight Talk newsletter she helps to manage.

Nuru was born HIV positive and is vocal about what is important for other young positives. She is in a relationship and her partner is also positive. The couple inspire and encourage each other and someday hope to have a child and enrol in the PMTCT programme to ensure that their baby is HIV free.

Jean Damien “Bolatch” Ndri, 25

Bolatch is part of the hip-hop generation - a sensitive rapper who is working on a hip-hop CD with his friend – they call themselves Bolatch and Kouvatch. Their lyrics, mostly written by Boltach, are about social consciousness and his own experiences in life. He is in his second year of music studies at the local Arts Conservatory – majoring in piano and drums.

Bolatch lives with his parents and is the eldest of four. His dad is a famous filmmaker and his mom a nurse.

Bolatch has a gentle personality, with a low voice when he speaks. He has a good heart and is giving but his behaviour does not please his parents. He refuses to go to Church with them, and often lets them down by coming home late. His relationship with his dad is truly estranged. Three years ago Bolatch took his father’s car without permission. He and his friends were out drinking and on their way home had an accident killing someone. His father has not forgiven him. They communicate with one another via Bolatch’s mother. Bolatch is also unaware that his lifestyle is putting him at risk – he goes out all the time, drinks a lot and has two girlfriends. Will Bolatch be able to repair his relationships with his parents and will he be able to become the great musician he dreams of becoming?

Desiree Cocoth, 23

This beautiful young woman has a dream to start a Dance School. She has studied dance and specialises in traditional as well as popular and contemporary dances like Coupe de Caler. Desiree dances in one of the top dance groups in Cote D’Ivoire and is also one of two lead singers in the group. She is also in a duo with her best friend and they intend to record an album, having already composed songs.

Desiree has had some rough moments: she has a three-year-old baby who she only sees once a week. She’s desperate to have her baby live with her, but tradition dictates that the father of the child is the care-taker, and they broke up three years ago.

She is exposed to all sorts of risky influencers but stays true to herself and is not taken in by the pressure of the entertainment business. In this sense she is a great role model for many young girls, and having made mistakes before, she is now making sure she does not make anymore. She shows a great sense of character and responsibility. This intelligent young woman, who thinks things through very clearly, didn’t go to high school. Her dad did not support her joining the dance school and would beat her. He later kicked her out of the house when she wouldn’t give it up and for four years she lived at the dance school. They have subsequently made peace but will Desiree be able to live with her baby one day?

Coffie Niezan, 22

Coffie is a flamboyant, fun loving and driven young man, with big dreams. He wants to one day be a pilot but has been told that his eyesight is not good. So he enrolled in a travel agency school (where he is one of only two males in a class of 44). Coffie’s girlfriend – who he describes as the love of his life – is studying in America. He still lives at home with his mother, step-father and siblings but is keen to pursue his dream even if it means moving countries. His one sister is estranged from the family and this causes tensions. He spends a lot of time out of the house going to clubs and parties. The family is well off and Coffie certainly knows how to have lots of fun, attracting young women all over the place – but he hasn’t been for an HIV test! Coffie’s one leg is slightly shorter than the other – he initially hid this but it no longer shames him and he plays all sorts of sports with confidence.

Coffie does not know his biological father. He loves his step-father, who is also his role model, but he still wants to find out more from his mother. However, she is saddened by this and up to now Coffie has avoided pushing her but his inner turmoil wants resolution.