As most of the artisans Same Sky works with are HIV-positive, this is an important time of year  for us.  We spread the word and raise awareness for our artisans by sharing their stories.
This is an excerpt from Francine LeFrak ’s (Same Sky Founder) travel notes to Zambia, where she met and trained artisans. This is the story of Ida:

“The next day we continued our work and that night ate dinner at Ida’s house. She made a feast pots and pots of food. She put a scarf on my head and chitenge around my waist and we began to cook Nshima together. It’s a grits like substance made in a huge pot. Once that was ready she served endless pots filled with mysterious things including caterpillars and many other delicacies all laid out on the floor. She was so proud of this feast and so excited we were in her home. The grits became the forks for eating the rest of the food but I asked for my own fork anyway.
After dinner we walked through her house and she told me the story of her life and she confided in me.
She was very close to her brother, Boyd, who died of AIDs. On his death bed he warned her to share his story so that people would not be afraid to come forward. This event propelled her to become an AIDs counselor.
One month later, her husband died very suddenly. After the funeral his family came over to her apartment and asked her to put all her husband’s belongings in the middle of the room, ‘now bring all your belongings because you are going to leave.’ She stood up to her in-laws and said, ‘I have two children and refuse to leave.’
Despite the law not being her favor, Ida stood her ground with her in-laws and tradition.
She bravely continued counseling in the hopes that HIV couples become open about their disease and not transmit to their children. One day, someone asked her, ‘have you ever been tested?’ She felt guilty and got tested and was positive.
I was surprised she was HIV positive; it gave me so much respect for her. She demonstrates so much courage in counseling others and uses the same tools to help herself.”

Ida works with the Abataka collective in Zambia as an AIDs counselor to the HIV-positive women artisans. Same Sky is so grateful to Ida for her courage and strength.