Guinea has been passing through difficult times of late. A general indefinite strike called on 10 January by the CNTG and USTG trade unions has paralyzed the country. For days, schools and offices have been closed and the traffic that usually jams the streets of the capital Conakry has disappeared: no cars are in circulation and collective taxis, which normally guarantee transport from one end of the city to another, are all on strike.

Everything is blocked and the population is being besieged by conflicting appeals to take to the streets for rallies and to stay home, given that rallies have been banned. The army is patrolling the streets and unrest has started, with a number of deaths. In this climate of tension and confusion, many patients of our DREAM centre have been worried that they may have to disrupt their treatment.

However they have found ways and means of leaving their homes, with some walking through some of the night to reach the neighbourhood where the centre is located by morning. They want to be there for their most crucial appointment: collecting antiretroviral medicines. This example of adherence is a testimony to the will to live, to the desire for health and for a future, which rise above fear and desperation.