By Piason Maringwa
Time was when being HIV positive was a death sentence and most people who tested positive had no hope for survival. There was a lot of fear, shame, self pity coupled with stigma and discrimination. The worst part then was the fact that most people got tested when they were critically ill hence chances of survival were almost nill. This was from around 1985 to early 2000. The way HIV/AIDS was unpacked to the general public made it a very frightening and shameful affair leading to many unnecessary deaths.
The World AIDS Day commemorations have made us people living with HIV feel accepted as we gather and meet people like ourselves from across the globe and share our common experiences.
National AIDs Council in collaboration with other stakeholders has made WAD a grand occasion and something to look forward to for most people living with HIV by changing venues annually from province to province to bring it closer to more and more people across the country. This arrangement has made NAC an organization with HIV people at heart and this also resonates very well with the Second Republic’ s mantra of leaving noone and no place behind. Many people living with HIV still cannot afford to attend even if it’s brought to their districts due to financial and other logistical challenges.
There is need for a deliberate effort to market World AIDS Day to all people especially those living with HIV as most still don’t know what it’s all about. Disseminating knowledge would have been much easier had we maintained support groups which acted as the meeting point of most people living with HIV. I have asked some people living with HIV what they know about WAD and most do not know about it. A lot needs to be done to reach the grassroots and tell them about this very important day.
I have attended only two WAD commemorations due to financial handicaps but at those two I learnt a lot and from each I came back home more confident than before. If we are serious about ending HIV World AIDS Day commemorations should be taken a step higher and attract more people than currently is the case. I think the programs should be more about encouraging disclosure and empowering people with hope in the face of disruptions caused by funding withdrawals by donors and other stakeholders in the HIV value chain. Assurances should be made at the WAD that local funding is available so there should be no worry about unwarranted fears and apprehensions.
Finally I want to applaud National AIDs Council for their meticulous care for their clients. I was really humbled to learn that NAC has a database of most visible people living with HIV .It was at a media workshop where a NAC official went through a list of people who had been known to be living with HIV and they were asking why some of them were no longer visible and an undertaking was made there and then to check on those unaccounted for to find out what had happened to them. I also went on to ask whether my name was among those guyz and was I happy to hear that I was number 3 on the list .Well done NAC for doing good work for us people living with HIV.
I would also like to appreciate the work being done by the media in highlighting crucial issues to do with HIV/AIDS. Fatigue was setting in as most media houses were no longer reporting about HIV saying that the HIV story was a tired story. Thanks to NAC for hosting media workshops and tours a lot of HIV reporting is now being done.
I am praying day and night that this year I shall be able to attend the Mzingwane High WAD and hopefully together with my wife Mai Simba the woman who has brought me this far.
Piason Maringwa
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