HIV Survivors – Helen

22/02/2013

Helen* is 32 years old, she is HIV positive, transferred from her husband and recently widowed. Her husband died last month, he was also HIV+ and had cancer. He had been in hospital with severe leg wounds which were badly infected; it is thought this is what caused his death.

She had two daughters with her husband, now aged 12 and 4. Within the same month of her younger daughter being born, her husband came home with another month old baby which he had fathered with another woman. This child became part of the family, and Helen refers to them as twins. Her 12 year old daughter is HIV+, however her CD4 count is ‘good’ which means she is not eligible for free ART medication; therefore she is not taking any. Essentially she has to be more poorly to get help. She did however receive quite intensive treatment for Tuberculosis.

Before her husband died, they were supported by OSSA. They had been given some funding to start a business, he was a shoe smith, and she would assist him and also make Shiro or Injera to earn a little more money for their family. They both suffered discrimination for their status and many people would not buy from them. She now receives little to no support from them, believing that some funds were raised for her but they have not reached her. She is grateful for the moral and spiritual support she receives from her counsellor.

Now that he is gone, she cannot earn the same wage. She has become a ‘daily’ worker – cleaning clothes, being a maid for anyone who will give her work. She needs to earn a enough to cover her outsgoings of 200Birr a month, as rent for her small home (a single room, about the size of a double bed where all 4 of them live). She also has to pay 350Birr per month for her two children to go to school – the family of her husband pay for his other child to go to school. However it was mentioned that the family of the mother are trying to claim the child back, the living status of the mother is not known.

She said she would like to be able to study, she is only educated to Grade 4 (her 12 year old daughter now being grade 5) but how can she study when she is now the sole breadwinner for her family. She said she would do anything to keep her children fed, including going without herself – a dangerous game to play when you are HIV+ and the only surviving parent.

I struggled to keep myself together whilst interviewing her, I could not decide if I should feel sad or angry for her. I was sat in a small home, watching a widow, dressed head to toe in black mourning for her late husband who was adulterous, infected her with HIV, and left her quite literally holding a baby that wasn’t hers…

Kx

*Names have been changed to protect identity.