Sitting on a bench, wearing his yellow t-shirt, Kombo shares his story.  He became an orphan at the age of four, when his mother died of AIDS.  His father had succumbed to the disease two years earlier. Now at eleven, Kombo is well aware that he, too, carries the virus.

Kombo lives with his grandmother and an aunt who adores him. Although he’s registered in Grade three, he doesn’t always attend school. Some days he’s not feeling well. Today, he’s home for another reason.

“I got into a fight with one of the boys at school and I got hurt really bad,” Kombo explains. A closer glance at his thumb reveals a deep cut. “My teacher asked me to stay at home until my wound heals,” he says.

Teasing cuts deep

Such fighting is common in Kombo’s life, as for other Kenyans with the HIV virus. 

“There are many incidents where Kombo has come home and from the look on his face you could notice that something was amiss,” his aunt shares. “Two weeks ago a boy provoked him by telling him he was useless and his parents had died of AIDS and he was going to follow soon,” she continues.

These and many others are some of the challenges that Kombo has to deal with every day.  Such emotional lashes cut deep, especially for a child.

“I feel so awful and helpless when people treat me differently” says Kombo. “I feel very sad. I have friends who are in the same situation as mine and they are treated the same way as me. This is very disheartening.”

Too much sadness

One of Kombo’s friends passed away just a month ago and even as he struggles to put on a bold face, it is apparent that this load is too much for an 11-year-old to carry.

“I went to see him a week earlier, he was very sick—he had wounds all over his body.  A week later, they told me that he was no more. That was too painful to bear. I cried my heart out for my friend Peter,” Kombo remembers.

The word “hope” is hard to describe for a boy who has lost both parents and his best friend to AIDS.  Yet somehow, Kombo seems to understand about hope. Hope and courage.
 
“I pray to god that he will heed my prayer. Every Friday I go to the mosque and all I ask of him is to give me strength to face a new day,” he says. While in the mosque, Kombo helps by fetching water and cleaning.

Coming of age

“The mosque has come of age, from the days when it was not receptive toward people living with HIV and AIDS,” explains Kombo’s aunt. “The church is very receptive as well.

Today, both the church and the mosque offer a voice of hope to children like Kombo. With the support of World Vision, community “hope teams” visit those infected and affected by the disease.

Such care and attention help people with HIV to stay as well as possible. Kombo’s own health has been improving; his weight was down to 19 kilograms but is now back to twice that.

“His health was really worrying in the past,” says his aunt. “He fell ill time and again, his body was covered by scars, wounds and he would often suffer from malaria. There was a time he had upper respiratory tract infection and lots of trouble breathing. But there has been a remarkable improvement in his health; he seldom falls ill.”

Kombo is on antiretroviral drugs, and he is very keen on taking them—he never forgets even a dose. And he’s certain that there will be a cure for AIDS soon.  Kombo plans to become a bus driver.  In the mean time, though, the boy in the yellow t-shirt is happy to play with his dog Soldier, and kick a ball around.

Just like other kids.