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A Deep Scar in My Heart

International Reporting Project

They say people come and go in our lives, but when she left us, it left a deep scar in my heart. Your memory will live on forever, my dearest sister. Rest in peace. 

I was nine years old when I lost my sister to the deadly AIDS virus. Every time I narrate this story, I can't help but struggle to hold back my tears. In my culture, it is considered a great wealth to have a family of girl children, and losing one is the greatest loss imaginable. And yet, it is a common occurrence here in Zambia. 14.3% of our 13.3 million people suffer from HIV/AIDS, the majority being women. 

I grew up in the suburbs of Ndola, Zambia. As a child, I loved to play on my mother's farm, where she grew maize, soya beans, and groundnuts. I still remember playing hide and seek amidst the crops, smiling and feeling immensely happy. 

But despite this happiness, I was always haunted by the condition of my sister. It was a living nightmare to watch her body deteriorate and waste away. And this was made more difficult by the silence that surrounded it.

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