"In Kibera there are sewers, mud and refuse everywhere. These poor hygiene conditions encourage the development of disease. The members run a small cottage industry to finance the activities of the organisation, making ribbons, necklaces, bracelets, and selling them for a few Kenyan shillings."

"You have Aids? You? I'm so sorry to hear it! But please leave!" cries a young girl, covering her face through fear of being infected. Another cuts in: "That's not how she's going to infect you! Aids is a virus, not a disease transmitted just by speaking to someone."

This dialogue could be real life: it takes place every day in the Kibera slum. But in this case it is a sketch performed by members of the KOYLWA, the "Kenyan Organisation of Young People Living with Aids." The theme of the day is discrimination against people with the virus.

Members of the organisation meet in a classroom of the Red Roses Nursery School in the western part of Kibera. There are 40 young people in KOYLWA, aged between 18 and 30. They come from the different areas within Kibera. They have different cultures and religions, but one thing they have in common is daily life with the virus. Most of them are registered in the HIV/Aids programme run by Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) and some are on antiretroviral treatment.

"Most of us are students or out of work," said the organisation's secretary, Charles Owiti, 21. We have experienced Aids ourselves and we think that we can have a life like others despite it. On the basis of this experience, we can help others who are infected with the virus and encourage prevention." KOYLWA's aim is to inform young people about Aids testing.

"Last month, we organised an information rally in Kibera, calling it Extravaganza," added one of the founding members of KOYLWA, Javan Ochieng, 27. "It aimed to inform the community, explaining who we are and what we do, but also fighting against the discrimination directed at people infected with HIV/Aids. Some counsellors from the MSF team were there. Some 30 people went and tested the day of the rally. It was a real success for us."

On one of the walls of the little classroom, next to the drawings of animals used for teaching purposes, three posters are covered with texts written in capital letters and permanent pen.

One of them reads "Do not discriminate against me! Africa! There is hope! But only if we love each other and take the time to appreciate our brothers and sisters living with HIV/Aids."

"We also try and inform the community about the importance of the environment," said Charles Owiti. "In Kibera there are sewers, mud and refuse everywhere. These poor hygiene conditions encourage the development of disease. The members run a small cottage industry to finance the activities of the organisation, making ribbons, necklaces, bracelets, and selling them for a few Kenyan shillings."

KOYLWA is known as a 'post test club', a special term for a number of organisations in Kibera where people who have tested positive for HIV share their experiences, difficulties, joys and their suffering. Faced with the scale of needs in Kibera, MSF is endeavouring to increase the involvement of these clubs in the social, non-medical care of patients with HIV/Aids. Patients can help each other and take on a large part of the care themselves.

The weekly meetings of KOYLWA continue, with Charles Owiti in charge. He pulls a letter out of his file and starts to read: "On the occasion of World Aids Day, MSF invites members of the organisation KOYLWA to stage a short play," he announced proudly. A great way to celebrate the first birthday of KOYLWA, founded in December 2004.