09.08.2006
 The following photo essay was contributed by Liza Shurik, a graduate of the University of Florida with a dual degree in Photojournalism and Russian Studies. While a student, Liza worked for a number of publications and her work has been recognized in the Hearst Journalism Contest and other competitions. Liza completed this essay while working at the Moscow office of AIDS Foundation East-West (AFEW). The pictures are also available from the AFEW site (without captions). All material reproduced here with the permission of Liza Shurik and AFEW.
 According to UN estimates, between .5 and 1.5 million people are living with HIV in Russia today. Tracking the epidemic and preventing its spread, however, has been difficult due to widespread ignorance and stigmas associated with the disease. Here, the story of a young HIV-positive Russian activist living in rural Russia is presented in words and pictures.
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On 1 December 2005, life took a dramatic turn for 25-year-old, HIV-positive Svetlana Izambaeva. Svetlana, who lives in the small Russian city of Cheboksari, was one of only a few Russians to reveal her HIV-status to the world, giving, what many have come to call 'a face to the HIV-positive community in Russia.' Living with HIV for three years, Svetlana has become an activist in her region. She has organised the first self-help group for HIV-positive people in Chuvashia, she hosts press conferences for local and national media and works with local officials to improve societal and medical conditions for people living with HIV/AIDS in her area. Svetlana's optimism and cheerful demeanor have turned her into a role model for the people in her community as well as throughout Russia. In June, Svetlana married her HIV-positive boyfriend and moved to Moscow, where she and her new husband work as a team to advocate for a change in attitudes towards and improved services for HIV-positive people. And so, with that said, we invite you to join us for... A Few Days in the
Life of Svetlana Izambaeva:
AIDS in Rural Russia
Photo Essay by Liza Shurik 1. The day begins
Svetlana puts on makeup at the kitchen table in the one-bedroom apartment that she shares with her mother and three brothers. |
3. Prayer
Svetlana says a
prayer at the
Vedenskiy Russian
Orthodox
Cathedral – the
oldest church in
Cheboksari. |
4. Life with friends
Svetlana and her good friend Yackov Kromarenko, 20
(HIV-negative), go for a walk along the Volga River.
Yackov is a psychology student at Cheboksari State
University, who has taken up Svetlana's cause, helping
and supporting her in whatever way he can. |
6. Call
Svetlana's personal cellular phone has become the 'unofficial hotline' for people living with HIV/AIDS in the
entire region. People from Cheboksari and neighboring
cities call her to talk about what they are going through
and the problems that they have come to face in a
region, where tolerance is very low. |
| 2. The activist begins
On the kitchen counter stands
the dried-out bouquet that
Svetlana received at the press
conference where she opened
her status to the world on World
AIDS Day 2005. 'My friends all
tell me that it is time to throw it
away,' she says, 'but I just can't.
When I arrived at the press
conference and saw the crowd of
people who had come to see me,
I was terrified: "What have I
gotten myself into," I thought. As
I walked up onto the stage and
everyone started clapping, I was
so scared, and then they handed
me the most beautiful bouquet I
had ever received in my life, and
I calmed down…Most girls think
back fondly on the night of their
high-school prom, but for me,
this was one of the most
important moments of my life.
These flowers represent the
moment when my life changed
forever.' |
5. In search of a fabric
Svetlana surveys the selection of
fabrics at a local fabric store. She
designs most of her own clothes,
buys the fabric and has her
outfits made by a friend. |
7. Siblings
Svetlana's youngest brother,
Andrei, 3, has cerebral palsy,
and Svetlana cares for him as if
he were her own child. |
|
8. Family
Svetlana's mom Fedosiya
Nikolaevna cooks lunch for her
family. |
|  9. Rest
Svetlana
takes a
short
break
after a
long day
on a
small hill
with a
view of
her town
behind
her. |
|
10. Making room
Svetlana and Yackov meet with Venyamin
Petrov, head of the Moskovskiy district of
Cheboksari, to discuss the possibility of
receiving separate quarters (independent
of the local AIDS centre) where they could
set up a centre for people living with
HIV/AIDS. This centre would house
GOLOS ('VOICE'), the self-help group that
Svetlana set up. Currently, GOLOS meets
on the premises of the AIDS centre, where
Svetlana works, but she says that it is
difficult to gather people there, as they
don't want to come to the AIDS centre in
fear that someone might find out about
their HIV-status. |
13. ...and Creativity
While on the phone trying to convince an
HIV-positive local to attend that evening's
self-help group, Svetlana gives a haircut to
the AIDS centre secretary, Liliya Tetrova,
20. 'I was just looking for any job,' said
Liliya, 'and I ended up here. To be honest,
I wasn't too tolerant of this problem before
I started working here, but now I really
want to do more to help.' |
|  11. Work
Reporter Elena Yegoreva of the local TV station 'Pyat Plus' interviews the only infectious disease doctor in the small neighboring city of Kanash. Elena is preparing a special report on HIV/AIDS in the region. Svetlana stands in the background, listening. |
12. pain...
Svetlana has blood drawn at the aids centre to
check her viral load. currently, her cd4 count
does not require her to take therapy. |
14. Making a Difference
Svetlana leads the self-help group, which
meets once a week with 5-10 people from
Cheboksari and neighboring cities. |
|
This page copyright Liza Shurik and AIDS Foundation East-West (AFEW). The School of
Russian and Asian Studies thanks Ms. Shurik and AFEW for permission to host this page. |
Svetlana Izambaeva was featured as a "Beauty with HIV" in a 2005 CBS News broadcast
Watch it here! |
|
Find Out More!
AIDS Foundation East-West
UNAIDS/WHO Fact Sheet
Homeless Youth in St. Petersburg
Internships in Russia
Heath and Safety in Russia
The SRAS Newsletter
Library: What You Want to Know
More Eurasian Regions and Cities
Journal for Students
More Free Resources! Questions or comments?
Contact the editor.
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