By Piason Marignwa
Every fight has its own victims, heroines and heroes.
The fight against HIV/AIDs has had its own fare share of victims and heroes and as we wrap up the month of August which happens to be the month we celebrate our liberation war and other national heroes I saw it fit to also highlight some of the heroes in the war against HIV/AIDs.
The fight against HIV/AIDs has not been a walk in the park and has been fought by many people and organisations since it’s onset in the early to mid 80s.The HIV battle field has been fraught with it’s own fair share of difficulties and disappointments.
August being the month when we celebrate our liberation war and other heroes I decided that this week’s article be devoted to celebrating our HIV/AIDS heroes as Zimbabweans.
Somebody once told me that the story of the hunted will never be complete if only told by the hunter. The hunter will always glorify himself and his hunting skills without mentioning the hunted’s bravery and resilience in the face of danger. The HIV story can never be complete if only heard from the medical expert’s side. The HIV+ men and women need to tell their story as they experienced or experience it.
HIV/AIDS has been one pandemic that took the world by storm and brought with it a lot of stigma and discrimination. The stigma and discrimination have continued up to this day and may continue to exist for many more years due to its association with unacceptable sexual preferences. Many people who acquired HIV during its initial stages had to suffer very gruesome deaths sometimes without any care from medical personnel and relatives because of the stigma and discrimination. This trend has continued with little change up until the first decade of the new millennium when a few brave HIV+ people began to come out to stand for their rights.
New organisations advocating for the welfare of HIV/AIDs people were established and these encouraged all those people living with HIV to stand up and help themselves because nobody except themselves would come up to help them .
Disclosure was encouraged though it was very difficult then, and once one decided to disclose his or her status their health began to improve. This is also the time we saw the proliferation of Support Groups at the beginning of the new millennium.
Disclosure was a very brave and very dangerous act and left one very exposed to all sorts of stigma and discrimination.
Among the first people to disclose their status and whose names should appear when the history of HIV in Zimbabwe is written are the following. Living veteran heroes of the HIV response Mukoma Tonderai Chiduku, surviving founder of ZNNP+, Marvellous Muchenje
Toronto, diagnosed in 1995, Shingirai Matogo diagnosed in 1986, founder of Clear Vision, Phyllis Mavushe, holds Masters in Clinical Psychology, Kensington a lawyer, deceased Auxillia Chimusoro. Founder of Batanai HIV Aids Support Organisation (BHASO), Auxillia’s son Farai is a treatment advocate, Angeline Chiwetani founder of Widows Foundation, Stanley Takaona founder of ZHAAU CT, Olive Mutabeni a retired nurse and PEPFAR Heroine to mention but a few.
I want to give special mention to National AIDs Council whose continued stewardship of the HIV/AIDS ship has made living with HIV very easy and a lot has been achieved through their work. Special mention also goes to all the media houses and personnel for writing and giving us HIV+ people to write our own side of the HIV story as we experience what it is to be HIV+.
Piason Maringwa
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