To mark World AIDS Day, Special Assignment broadcasts the story of a remarkable young woman Thembi Ngubane, who is HIV+.
Thembi journeys from Khayalitsha in Cape Town to Mumbai in India, the bustling home of Bollywood. The aim is for Thembi and her Indian counterparts to learn from one another, to share their experiences of mother-to-child transmission, stigma and discrimination. According to a UN report released on Wednesday, South Africa now has the highest number of people living with HIV, India the second highest. The visit was organized by UNICEF to promote understanding of the problems around AIDS.
The story tracks Thembi’s inner journey, as she reveals her HIV status to millions on an American public radio station. Remarkably, through the correct drug therapy, Thembi has given birth to a healthy baby, something that grabbed the attention of world health leaders at the recent G8 summit in Berlin.
In an unexpected turn of events, Thembi touches the lives of a young Indian couple. Until they met her they had decided not to have a baby because the wife is HIV+. But Thembi’s story has convinced them that you can lead a positive life, and they will now go ahead and bring a baby into the world.
Love (and babies) in the time of AIDS is directed by Sarah Crowe of UNICEF.
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