NAIROBI, 21 March 2007 (IRIN) - Sarah, 29, a single mother of two, lives in Kibera, a sprawling slum in the Kenyan capital, Nairobi. She tested HIV-positive a year ago after recurring chest infections.

"I can only afford a meal of githeri [a mixture of maize and beans] and sometimes meat. I am not supposed to eat red meat but I cannot afford fish or chicken.

"My family did not support me even when I was bedridden with complications brought on by TB. My sister even tried to find out from nurses whether I have AIDS. I chose to keep my status secret fearing that I would be ostracised.

"My children, who live with my mother upcountry, also do not know my HIV status. One day when I am stronger I might disclose it to them.

"Life in the slums is hard. We need better living conditions. We also need work so that we are able to feed ourselves and our children. I sell charcoal. I set up the business from the allowances given by AMREF [African Medical Research Foundation] during our post-testing training.

"However, the charcoal dust is unhealthy, and I cannot be a house-help because we have been advised to avoid exposing ourselves to cold water. If I had capital I would prefer to sell clothes.

"I feel much better now, thanks to free ARV [anti-retroviral] and TB treatment from AMREF. I am able to stand up again.

"But I need financial support so that I can sustain myself. I am desperate. I would appreciate a small loan to set up a small business that would enable me have regular meals, which are now so difficult to come by. There are microfinance projects in Kibera, but so many people, myself included, do not qualify for the loans because one needs to have some start-up capital."

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