Once upon a time, in a village called Kamhlushwa, there was a small family called kaMazibuko. In the family there was a three-year-old girl called Busisiwe. Busisiwe was a dark-skinned girl and she was very beautiful. She was a blessing to her mother because she was her only child. This is why her mother named her Busisiwe, “blessed”. Busi’s mother was a domestic worker. Her stepfather was unemployed and he was also an alcoholic. When Busisiwe was five years old, her stepfather found a job as a security guard. He usually worked at night. Busisiwe could not go to school because she was still young and the school was too far. Her parents couldn’t afford to pay for her transport as her mother earned peanuts and her stepfather always drank alcohol.

One day, on a beautiful Saturday morning, her mother was at home when she received a call from her boss asking her to come and help because they were planning a beautiful birthday party for their daughter. It was a perfect day for the Mazibuko family to bond but her mother had to go to work and spend the whole night at home. Busi’s mother woke up early the next morning and left the house.

Her stepfather was still asleep and he woke up later to get three bottles of beer at the nearby bottle store. Busi was nervous when her stepfather was drunk because he would touch her in a bad way and she always felt unsafe. That night, her stepfather raped her. He told her that she must keep quiet and if she ever told someone about it, he would kill her. Her mother came back the next day and found Busi sleeping on the couch. She decided not to wake her up and went to her room to take a nap because she was also tired.

Time went by and Busi turned seven. It was a perfect time for her to start going to school and she could now walk the long distance. Busisiwe really enjoyed school. She was clever, excelling on her academics and an active person. She enjoyed working at home and at school, her mother and teachers were proud of her. When she turned ten, she started to get her menstrual cycle.

Busi’s stepfather started sleeping around with women at the tavern, where he would always spend his time drinking alcohol with his friends, and he was infected with HIV. He was unaware that he is infected. One night he raped Busisiwe again and promised to pay for her school trip if she kept quiet. Since that day, the thing he had done always hurt her and she could not focus on school anymore, her mind was distracted by her stepfather’s abuse. Then, one night, her stepfather was robbed and killed by thugs at his work.

Busi became ill and her mother decided to take her to the local clinic. They found out Busi was HIV positive. Her mother cried and was confused about how Busi got infected with HIV. She had been tested when she was a baby and she had been negative. Miracles happen and they believed that she got it from her peers because she had a friend that was HIV positive. Maybe she was infected when they both had wounds and their blood mixed. Busi started taking her treatment and she was doing well.

She reached her secondary levels, but then one day during lunch bullies came to her eating spot and found her taking the pills. They made fun of her in front of the whole school and no one wanted to be her friend because they were scared that they might be infected too. Busi was not happy at school anymore, her marks dropped and sometimes she would bunk classes.

She always locked herself on a room without talking to anyone. One day people from the Department of Health came and talked about HIV at school. They even mentioned that people who are infected with HIV must be treated equally. Years don’t wait for a person and soon Busi turned seventeen. She met a boy Cally Bandzi, he was a charming boy. They dated for seven months and Busi hid the fact that she was HIV positive. She wanted to be a doctor and a motivational speaker so that she can help people who had gone through the same situation.