Many of you dream to go to Australia. Why Australia?
Agnes, “Here jobs are scarce, while they are plenty over there. Not only: there are very good school opportunities”.

Can you tell me something about HIV-AIDS?
Memory, “My focus is on prevention through:
1. Education (increasing the general level of culture of the people);
2. Abstinence, which actually works hand in hand with the first.
I see a wide consent in the dormitory on these topics”.

You told me that, “Some of us are not infected, but we are all affected!”. Can you elaborate?
We interact on a daily basis with relatives who are infected. Living with them, we try to remove stigma from the person and from the disease. We can help them in the society: supporting them, caring for them, nursing them. In one word, there is still life for them!
On the other hand, I might loose friends in case they know I have an HIV pos. close relative (i.e., parent).
Anyway, in general I see around me some improvements: prevention works, ARTs become more available, presence of awareness campaigns, condoms are free of charge.

At your age and in the present Zimbabwean cultural environment, how do you see yourself towards maternity?
We would like to become mothers, like all women, but at the right time.
Above all, because of the HIV pandemic, marriage is nowadays dangerous.

How do you see yourselves in comparison with your UK peers?
We actually know of teenagers overseas mostly through television, mainly fiction, which for sure doesn’t give any real picture of the situation.
Anyway, through relatives and friends we get to know that there are huge cultural differences.

Can you give me one example?
At 5 PM we must be at home, until we are married! (In case there are no parents in the house, like families where the elder brother is in charge of the house, the rule is somehow loose).

Anything you want to ask me?
Please, send us books!