NAMIBIA-HIMBA-AIDS

Kambindja Uahuna (R), 15, and her younger sister from the Himba tribe walk to school 27 November 2002, 2km from their village in Otjandjamuenjo. AIDS has been ravaging Africa for 20 years now, with 2.4 million people dying of the disease last year and close to 30 million people infected by precursor HIV, but some communities continue to maintain it does not affect them. In Namibia, the Himba hunter-gatherers tell you that AIDS is not a disease of their tribe, though they acknowledge it exists on the outside. They recognize that AIDS is a threat, but only to those in contact with the Ovambo, the younger who go off to the towns, or enroll in the army. As a result, they tend to keep their daughters at home after primary school rather than sending them away to secondary schools. (Photo by ALEXANDER JOE / AFP) (Photo by ALEXANDER JOE/AFP via Getty Images)