Why Zambia? Why Now?

In 2016, ten years after my diagnosis, I travelled to St Lucia, on the north-east coast of South Africa to volunteer on a rural HIV and community healthcare project. I’d wanted to mark the decade in a way that meant something - to give back, to gain perspective, and to remind myself what I still had to offer.

The experience changed how I saw the world - and myself.

Working in Zulu villages alongside local coordinators and medical volunteers changed everything I thought I knew about resilience, kindness, and connection. I learnt that volunteering isn’t about swooping in to help; it’s about listening, learning, and finding common ground on which to build.

I saw that care doesn’t just heal the body - it restores dignity, and that courage isn’t loud or dramatic; sometimes it’s a quiet, daily act of showing up. Over and over… and over again.

I’d once hoped to train as a nurse, though back when I was diagnosed, people with HIV were not able to do the kind of nursing I wanted to build a career from, so while life took me elsewhere, that desire to make a difference never really left.

A decade later, PositiveImpact20 is my way of returning to that spirit. This time I’ll be in Livingstone, Zambia, once again volunteering with African Impact, an organisation that builds lasting change through community health and education programmes. The work ranges from health checks and awareness sessions to classroom support and practical outreach in partnership with local teams.

It’s volunteering grounded in collaboration - working alongside those who are already helping their own communities to thrive. Empowering local people and making sure each project leaves something lasting behind.

This time, I’ll be part of a team delivering health and education outreach, supporting workshops, and helping with community initiatives that improve everyday wellbeing — while learning more about resilience, resourcefulness, and what ‘impact’ really looks like when it’s shared.

This trip is about more than marking twenty years living with HIV. It’s a chance to bring everything I’ve learnt - about care, compassion, and recovery - back into action. To give something back to the communities still living with challenges I’ve been lucky enough to outlive.

I’m not going to Zambia to find myself; I did that years ago on a dusty road in South Africa. For me, this trip isn’t about chasing adventure as I turn forty. It’s about marking twenty years with HIV; half my life, through something meaningful. I’m going because I believe the best way to honour two decades of living positively is to keep showing up, listening, and putting Positivity in Action.