HIV/ AIDS is still a challenge which the government of Zambia, with collaborated efforts, is trying to fight. Issues of stigma towards people that are infected with the virus has slightly gown down due to increased knowledge about HIV/AIDS and the acceptance that being HIV positive is not a death sentence.
Child development can be affected by HIV/AIDS as some children that are infected with the virus seem to develop slowly compared to those that are HIV negative. In this regard, my placement organization is currently running a project that supports children aged 0 to 5 who have moderate to severe developmental delays through different activities such as play therapy that help foster their growth. Parents as caregivers are at the center of this initiative.
In the first week of December 2014, my team organized a community sensitization event on Early Childhood Development (ECD). This sensitization event came up because we realized that there was great need to educate the community on Early Childhood Development. Response from the community with regards to ECD had been poor mainly due to the fact that ECD is a fairly new idea or concept in these communities.
The event was a success, turnout was good and the community was engaging with us and answering questions which showed that they were understanding what we were sharing with them. The Voluntary Counseling and Testing team also joined the bandwagon and set up a mobile HIV testing booth. I was glad to see a long queue outside that booth. So many people put aside their fears and chose to get tested, which motivated me to also get tested.
The anxiety that comes with testing for HIV is like no other. That must have been the longest 10 minutes of my life. But having done the test and looking back, I am so happy I did it because I cannot think of a better way to end the year, knowing my status and taking full charge of my life. I understand that it begins with me, I have to lead by example.
My placement organization deals with pediatric AIDS. If I have to take the lead in the fight against pediatric HIV/AIDS, it must begin with me. I need to ensure that I play my part in ensuring that there are less or no more children born with HIV. The first step in that direction is for me to get tested for HIV regularly because I am a mother and likely to be a mother again in the future. I need to ensure that my son is not orphaned because of HIV and that my future children are born HIV free, regardless of what my HIV status is. Prevention of Mother to Child Transmission services are available for mothers who have HIV, but the only way to get these services is to get tested for HIV.
Testing for HIV is important for every human being, but it becomes gravely important when a woman is expecting a child because this unborn child’s HIV status depends on his or her mother’s status and what steps she takes to protect her child. My placement organization has a teen mentorship program for teens living with HIV, it is heartbreaking to see children who are HIV positive, not because they had unprotected sex or have been negligent but, because they got the virus from their mother. As such, I feel that women need to take the lead in ensuring that children are not born with HIV. This is not to say that men should not be proactive in this issue, they need to be involved. But I feel that women need to take the lead because we carry these children in our wombs, why not do everything we can to ensure they have a full and happy life?