Livelihood Support for HIV-positive Mother

Nina was left to navigate the challenges of living with HIV on her own when her loved ones decided to abandon her upon hearing about her diagnosis. Not only was she utterly at a loss of what to expect, she was also fearful about what her status meant for her coming child.

As luck would have it, she was connected to a local VHT worker, who informed her about GWED-G’s HIV Prevention and Maternal Health program. Following the VHT’s advice, she decided to visit the local community health center where she was able to receive antenatal care. Soon enough, she was regularly attending community sensitization sessions as well as weekly meetings which allowed her to come to terms with her illness. Nina exclaims that these outreach programs enabled her to understand the complexities of her status and sharing her experience with others helped destigmatize the illness in her community. When she sought similar support from her husband, she was met with violence and ridicule. It was in that moment that she felt empowered enough to ask for a divorce. Now a divorcee, Nina has seven children to look after and support. Fortunately, she is registered under GWED-G’s livelihood program through which she is able to receive vegetable seeds that she is currently planting for next season. She is hopeful about its yield and is expecting to generate some profit from her harvest.

Nina concludes with several aspirations for GWED-G’s future programs. She longs for a program that will help support her children’s education. As of now, she is the primary breadwinner for her family of 8 and is not able to afford the considerable amount of school fees required to send her children to school. Her hope is that her children are able to attend school so that they can eventually go on and establish their lives different from the grueling life that she led.