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Ismail Harerimana was fourteen before anyone told him what was making him sick. He grew up in the hills of Kisoro in southwest Uganda, was diagnosed with HIV after a routine eye infection, and spent years hiding his antiretrovirals in a tin of sugar so nobody at school would know.

He was saved and rebuilt by Saturday support groups run through the Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation. What follows is a story of two school expulsions, a caning for missing class to collect medication, a newspaper confession that turned him into an advocate, a husband and a father.

The episode closes on harder ground: the aftermath of the 2025 USAID and PEPFAR cuts, and the subsequent death of a child in Ismail's care. His testimony is in direct contradiction to statements made by Elon Musk and Marco Rubio.

• [00:01:03] Growing up in Kisoro, on Uganda's border with Rwanda and the DRC
• [00:04:39] Years of unexplained illness, isolation and undiagnosed HIV in childhood
• [00:08:34] Diagnosed at fourteen after an eye infection testing drive — and not told the truth
• [00:11:14] Learning the truth about his HIV status at sixteen, through the Ariel Clubs peer support network
• [00:17:02] Hiding antiretrovirals in a tin of sugar, and being caned for missing school to collect medication
• [00:20:14] Expelled from two schools after his status was disclosed without his consent
• [00:26:06] Marriage, fatherhood, and managing HIV transmission risk with an HIV-negative wife
• [00:31:03] The 2025 USAID funding cuts and their effect on Uganda's HIV clinics
• [00:37:32] A moment of remembrance for a child in his care who died after the cuts

Ismail Harerimana is a Ugandan community health advocate and former Ariel Clubs ambassador for the Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation. Diagnosed with HIV at fourteen, he has spent over a decade supporting children and families affected by HIV across southwestern Uganda, working as a peer educator at Kabale Regional Referral Hospital until USAID and PEPFAR funding cuts halted the programme.

• Terrence Higgins Trust – UK support and information for people living with HIV
• National AIDS Trust – HIV policy, stigma and rights in the UK
• aidsmap – independent HIV news and treatment information
• Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation – the organisation behind the Ariel Clubs peer support network mentioned in this episode
• Prevention Access Campaign (U=U) – on Undetectable equals Untransmittable

If you have been affected by the themes in this episode, support is available at the links above.