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Before joining Humana People to People
I was a teacher by profession.
So I have noticed that I had a good number of relatives
who were perishing because of the ***/AIDS epidemic.
So I decided to be a patron of those people.
Liberating the people from the ***/AIDS epidemic.
That is why I decided joining DAPP
and especially the ***/AIDS program.
People are now having information about ***/AIDS
and people are now talking open about ***/AIDS.
Before it was like a taboo to talk of ***/AIDS
but now we are seeing people coming for testing voluntarily.
But before it was not so easy to talk of ***/AIDS.
I was not allowed to sleep in the same house with the others.
I couldn't use the same bedsheets what others were using.
They didn't let others to eat with me using the same plates.
I was distressed!
Then caregivers came to us
and explained how *** spread and how people can be taken care of.
From then I managed to get ARVs
and I also get assistance from the doctors here.
I have been living as an *** positive since 2001.
Most of the people now are coming out open with their status.
But they have to be encouraged
in livelihood so that they are self-sustainable
for example if people can manage to have income generating activities
such as piggery, such as fowls, such as road runners
and also the goats.
So they are able to take care of the consequences of the epidemic.
Because people have orphans to take care of
and also have sick people
although they are not bedridden but they can still continue
doing some of those activities
like gardening, also keeping pigs, keeping chickens.
So I think people are no longer bedridden
most of them are of the working class.
They need to be capacitated in entrepreneurship.
So that they can be self-reliant.
Anyone who is suffering we care for them.
We know how to support, to counsel, to mobilize.
Or even to resourse mobilize
for our resources to make our income generating projects.
We are not there only to be funded.
So as caregivers we have youths and OVCs.
OVC stands for Orphans and Vulnerable Children
And under vulnerable children we have
positive living children
So those people we care for them.
And we take issues like abuse of children.
Even if those living positive under stigma and discrimination
we consider that we take issues and counsel
and give them the right knowledge to care for the clients.
Manhenga station is one of those stations for Hope Bindura.
We thought that it might be to much for the people to travel 21 kms
from here the rural up to the station.
So we said we need to get a small house. They are meeting here once a week
doing craftwork, making some doormats, weaving, even mobilizing one another
to start some income generating activities.
And also the new life team, which are the counselors from Hope Centre
they are also bringing the service to the people here
where they are also teaching the people into nutritional counseling
adherence counseling and also encouraging all those
who had been tested to form some support groups.
I have decided to come for *** test
because of my husband has been out of the country for the whole year.
He was living in South Africa.
We were not having any communication.
But a week ago he comes back.
He said he wants to have *** intercourse with me.
I had unprotected *** intercourse with him.
Today I had decided to come for *** test
because I have been doubting him so much
that maybe he was living with another lady in South Africa.
It is good that women are also being involved
in doing all those things, which can make them self-sustainable.
Taking care of the families, because sometimes men are away doing the work.
Because normaly men go away they migrate for work
and women are the ones who remain behind with the families.
So if the women can be capacitated in these entrepreneurship
They will be able to take care of the families as well as the orphans who are left behind
by those people who perished because of the ***/AIDS epidemic.
Prevelance rate of ***/AIDS in Malawi was 14%.
Now we know for sure we are reducing it to 11%
But still there are a lot of people who really need to have access
Either to testing and also to live according to their *** status.
We are reaching to a population of 400.000 people
And we start this project from 2009.
And we are finishing this year in October (2012).
As you know TCE is a three year project.
We are doing a door to door *** testing and counseling
in each and every household.
So I can say that the project has really benefited
and it's contributing to the Government effort
that the Government would like to see
that each and every Malawian knows his or her status.
And also is living according to his or her status.
It is very important for DAPP to continue its work.
Because what they do is that they work right in the communities.
You know Blantyre district is hilly.
For people to move to the towns or to the nearest head centres
to access facilities in the head centres is very difficult.
Mostly on testing.
So DAPP work in the villages they find people right in their homes.
So people access their ***/AIDS work right in their homes.
So it is very important for them!
The program has mobilized a lot of people
E.g. volunteers, as you know in TCE we call them Passionate.
These are people who have got a passionate heart
They would like to do something for their own community, for their own people
And we can say that we got support groups.
Who are supporting people who are clinicaly ill, maybe they are positive also.
And also they are passionates therefore started income generating activities.
to support orphanes and also to support the people who have got the virus.
There is a reduction in stigma and discrimination.
Because then in the community knowing your *** status is a norm.
Everybody knows that it is necessary that one has to know his or her own status.
And at the same time coming up with a trio whereby
somebody who is on ARVs is being supported
by family member or anybody in the community.
We have managed to do break the silence.
Whereby a lot of people can talk about it freely
without fearing of discrimination or being pointed a finger at
that you are a *** positive.
We have got some challenges, which we are facing.
As a Government in Malawi we have the problem of shortages of test kits.
And this is an on going fight.
I decided to join DAPP in 2010.
I am interested in the work with the ***/AIDS.
So I thought I can manage to give the information to the community.
First of all I go to waaroom to sign in.
Thereafter I meet my friends and discuss challanges and so many things.
Even our achievemets, our goals.
Thereafter we go for field.
My name is Rejoice Kasale.
I am a TCE field officer.
I will be here teaching you about *** and AIDS.
Thereafter I make sure that I meet passionates in their groups.
I meet with them, discuss with them what they really do.
What are the challenges they are facing.
When a person tested positive
at the same point I mobilize him or her to join the Positive Living Club.
I was also getting encouragement
from the group I joined.
Since I had my blood get tested in 2006
until now in 2012
I have been living a happy life.
I have also started to take AVRs in 2008.
I was expecting my child and she was found out to be negative when she was born.
It is because I followed the counselling that I received.
When I go door to door most cooperative people are women.
Because men always go for work.
They do their jobs, do whatever they can do.
It is difficult for me to meet them at their homes.
While women I meet them every day!
And I chat with them. I discuss with them. And they are really enjoying the program.
And they are really changing their lives!
I have really passion for this project because
even in my family I have seen my brother passing away of the *** virus
and for that I always feel I need to do something!
For the community where I live and even for the country where I am.
and even to other countries where it is possible that I can implement the TCE program.