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TechnoratiToo often, children with HIV "live in a culture of secrecy," said Maria Villanueva Medina, a psychologist with Casa de la Sal, a group that runs an orphanage for children with HIV in Mexico City.
"They can't talk about their diagnosis in the school because they can be kicked out. They can't talk about it in their communities with their neighbors."
At Casa de la Sal, children are told about the virus around the same age as Keren was, but few dare to tell their schoolmates even where they live.
Casa de la Sal is adapting to a new reality. When it first opened 22 years ago, many of the children died by the time they reached their teens. Today, the orphanage has not had a death in eight years. The government provides antiretrovirals.
Faced with the challenge of preparing the children for adulthood, the orphanage eventually began sending them to regular schools instead of giving classes within the institution.
The hope is that someday, many will be outspoken advocates for their own cause.
"We need to start getting young people involved in leadership again in HIV and AIDS because it's easy to get kind of complacent," said Joe Cristina, whose Los Angeles-based Children Affected by AIDS Foundation helps fund the orphanage.
Keren writes an upbeat editorial each week. ("I want to congratulate all the boys and girls who have graduated and got good grades. Keep it up!!") She is now popular among her classmates.
She takes singing and acting lessons, dreams of going to Hollywood and breathlessly notes that she shares the same Zodiac sign — Sagittarius — and favorite color — purple — with her teen idol, Miley Cyrus.
"Sometimes I have so much fun that I forget I have this" virus, she said.
