October 08, 2007, 20:45
Jeanette is seeking the ideal man. Someone sensitive. Funny. Sexy. And, most of all, HIV-positive. That's why she turned to The Positive Connection, an online dating agency that offers HIV-positive South Africans looking for love a way to get around the stigma of the disease.
"Everything goes well until a guy learns about my problem and dumps me," said Jeanette, who asked that her real name not be used. "I just want to meet someone like me who can talk about it."
Aids is still a taboo subject for millions of South Africans, despite its staggering toll: each day, about 1 000 people die of Aids and related conditions.
Few people openly admit they have the disease - fearful of losing partners, friends and jobs - and this environment of shame has undermined the battle against the disease.
Ben Sassman, founder of The Positive Connection, says he offers HIV sufferers who fear the normal dating scene will only lead to more rejection a unique channel to build up their confidence, and maybe meet the right partner one day.
"We don't want people to cry on our shoulders and feel sorry for themselves. They must realise that managing the problem is possible. There are ordinary people like you and me," he said.
The fight against Aids is a daunting task in South Africa. Aids activists accuse the government of dragging its feet, leaving more and more people vulnerable to Aids and HIV, the virus which causes it.
South African officials, including President Thabo Mbeki, have infuriated Aids activists by questioning accepted Aids science, pushing unproven treatments and failing to make anti-retroviral (ARV) drugs, now accepted as the frontline treatment for HIV/Aids, readily available to all those in need.
To try and bring down social barriers, The Positive Connection pushes the motto "Aids is not a death sentence" in a tag that runs across its Web site. - Reuters
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