18/02/2013
Teresa*, a 45 year old widowed mother of five, she is HIV
positive.
She lives with her children aged 16,
20, 25, 25 and 28.
Her husband suffered from HIV, prior
to his diagnosis he earned a good wage and they had a generously sized home by
Ethiopian standards. As he fell poorly they had to sell their home and use
their money to sustain their lives while he was unable to work. He died 10
years ago.
Teresa was helped by Mary Joy (an NGO)
to get tested for HIV once her husband had passed. Her first test came back
positive; she contracted the virus from her husband. At this time, not only was
she grieving and having to deal with the news of her own health, she also suffered
discrimination from her community. She says many people would not come to see
her, believing that the ghost of her late husband was in her compound and not
wanting to associate with someone who was HIV+.
This is when OSSA stepped in,
providing financial support, food and medical aid to her and her children. Back
then the funding from donors was much greater, it has somewhat deteriorated
now. They still currently support her medically, covering costs of medical check-ups
for her and her family. ART medication is provided free of charge in Ethiopia.
In an attempt to support her and her
family, she began to rent some of the space in her compound to local people who
had animals; her home became a grazing area for donkeys, goats and such like.
A few years ago some volunteers came
from The Netherlands to work with OSSA. Teresa and her family became one of
their priority cases. They raised funds and used them to convert the animal
area into a better compound and living space. Her family now has a ‘movie
house’ much like a mini cinema. They charge entry for people to watch films and
particularly football matches on their large flat screen. Her son also runs a
small rental stall for music and films to generate income for them all. Her
eldest son is a Bajaj driver and supports her as much as he can. This currently
allows them to live hand to mouth.
We asked if Teresa had an education,
sadly she has no formal education, only the education of life. When asked if
she would like to learn she claimed she is now too old and too poor in health
to learn. She is severely affected by cataracts in both her eyes which are very
apparent when you look at her. Something we hope we can assist with by
referring her to an NGO for eye care.
Her future ambition is to have an
animal dairy as this will likely produce a higher income for them to live on. Her
advice to other people in her situation would be that a life with HIV can be maintained;
she has lived with the virus for over 10 years and regularly shares her
experiences with her peers.
My overall feeling from the conversation
was that they were grateful for the assistance they have received over the
years, however it has deteriorated considerably now and they are very much independent
financially. Meselch, the OSSA counsellor who visits Teresa frequently helps
with some things around the home when she can, particularly if Teresa is
feeling unwell. She says that this kindness and assistance is invaluable to
her.
Kx
*Names have been changed to protect
their identity.
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