1. 30/30

2. 30 Years / 30 Lives:
Documenting a Pandemic
(1981-2011)

3. HIV stands for
“human immuno-deficiency virus.”
It is the virus that causes AIDS.

4. AIDS stands for
“auto-immune deficiency syndrome.”
It is collection of diseases that result from
a suppressed immune system.

5. “I wonder if I’ve learned,
If I’ve changed,
what pieces are missing still.
Can I find the strength,
the mosaic to survive?”

6. “Compassion.”

7. “The best way I can honor
those who have gone
before me and who died
from HIV/AIDS . . . is to
move forward while being
cognizant of the richness
that does still fill my
privileged life today.”

8. 33 million people
are living with an HIV/AIDS infection.

9. 25 million people
have already died.

10. “Parents die leaving behind orphans.
I opened my home to such children.”

11. “[T]he doctors predicted
a very short life span for him. . . .
He has celebrated his seventh birthday.”

12. “After watching their struggle for many
years, I do not know which is better,
death or the struggle.”

13. 96% of the people living with HIV/AIDS
live in the developing world.

14. Most of these live on less
than $2.00 a day.

15. “People should be educated about these
things. They should be made aware.”

16. “The love and trust I had
for my husband vanished overnight. . . .
[Now] I lead a healthy and fulfilling life.”

17. “I got
married
and lost
my loving
kids, one
after
another.”

18. HIV is transmitted sexually, by sharing
needles, transfusing contaminated blood,
or by breastfeeding.

19. There are no other ways to get HIV.

20. “You must trust no one. . . .
You must protect yourself.”

21. “The situation is very difficult.”

22. “I have seen people turn their lives around.”

23. 1,400 people
are newly infected with
HIV
every day
in South Africa.

24. An additional 6,000 people a day are
newly infected with the virus worldwide.

25. 1,000 people die daily
from complications arising from
an HIV infection in South Africa.

26. Worldwide,
5,500 people die daily from an infection.

27. “In 2002,
most people broke the silence.”

28. “[A]ll these years,
there was no medication.”

29. “At Red Cross I’m working as a counselor
doing pre-, post-test counseling,
adherence counseling, and also helping
doctors with interpreting.”

30. More than 15 million children under 18
have been orphaned as a result of AIDS.

31. About 12 million of these children
live in Sub-Saharan Africa.

32. “People might think we are happy because
we have accepted our statuses . . . , but
what about the fact that we are going to be
on medication for the rest of our lives?”

33. “Many people infected and affected by
HIV&AIDS continue to experience
rejection and isolation. This leaves people
with a lot of feelings of pain
and disappointment.”

34. “In 1999, I tested HIV-positive,
but didn’t believe in HIV/AIDS.
I met . . . peer educators
who encouraged me
to [change] my lifestyle.
Living positively with a positive mind.”

35. More than half of all people living with an
HIV/AIDS infection are women.

36. Most people living with HIV/AIDS
are heterosexual.

37. “It affects me whenever she is in pain.
She comes to me and I can feel the pain.”

38. “I was in a
trauma of
accepting the
death of my
daughter and to
take care of her
two children,
a boy of 9 and a
girl of 3.”

39. “We must . . .
try to educate our children about HIV.”

40. Anti-retrovirals (ARVs)
are not a cure for HIV/AIDS, but they can
prolong life significantly.

41. Only about 40% of people living with HIV
have access to ARVs.

42. “I met the traditional doctor
who claimed that he could treat
and cure HIV & AIDS, but . . .
things were becoming worse.”

43. “I want to stay
a healthy mom to a healthy baby.”

44. “I know how to challenge the denialists of
HIV, as [our constitution says]:
“We have a right to adequate health care.”

45. “Amandla!”
(Power!)

46. “Aluta continua!”
(The struggle continues!)

47. photographs by Kimberly Vrudny
© 2009
All Rights Reserved.

48. for more information, see
http://30years30lives.org