Client stories

It is hard to imagine the circumstances that so many people face on a daily basis and it is only through the continued support from you that we can continue with our work and provide a little bit of hope in our clients lives.
We are grateful to Claudia Giampietri who spoke with our clients and compiled their stories.
Meet some of our amazing clients.

Janet

Janet is not the first one in her family to be affected by HIV/AIDS. Four of her siblings died last year after refusing treatment. I am the only one still alive. My mother also died, but not of HIV. She died of witchcraft, Janet says firmly, while adjusting the red hat on her small head. Janet is 28 years old although she looks much younger. At the age of 13 she gave birth to her first daughter and since the death of the child’s father who died from HIV in1997, the daughter lives with her grandparents. Janet knows she became HIV positive because of him. The grandparents are unaware of Janet’s condition and they have not met her since their son passed away. When their son died they were told that he had died from cancer. Since then we haven’t met and I last saw my daughter in 1997. When money is lacking, even small distances are difficult to cover and Janet cannot pay a visit to her already grown-up daughter.

Janet lives in a small house with her second-born child who is 1½ years old. During her second pregnancy, Janet deliberately decided to stop the treatment. I was not getting enough food and I decided to stop the medications. Unsurprisingly, her health began to worsen until a woman who lives in the area and volunteers at the Kawempe Home Care brought the doctor to Janet’s place. ‘I am among the first clients of the KHC. They came, tested me, and convinced me to start the ARV treatment. Now I am going to the KHC to collect my drugs once a month, unless I have complications. They also check my child if he is sick. I tested him and he is negative.

Janet is able to work thanks to a grant that she receives from the KHC and she feels immensely grateful for that. The money is used for her small business but apparently, having a stable income is not easy. I use the grant to sell clothing, but the cloths do not go very fast and I end up using the savings, she states, sighing helplessly. Janet is mainly concerned about the rent, and she worries that at the end of the month the owner could chase her away. She wishes she could have more chances to make her business work and become independent: ‘ I would like to get a job which provides me with a daily income - she admits - I am strong enough now, and I feel I could do anything.’

Prossy

 

Prossy explains 'my husband’s first wife died of HIV but he always refused to accept it. When he was tested and discovered that he was also sick he started understanding my situation and feelings. Sounds funny to say but I felt happy that he was also sick'.
They were both getting the drugs from the hospital.

One day volunteers from the Kawempe Home Care came to her place as somebody had told them that they were HIV positive. She says ‘Soon as we realised that the best thing to do was to start taking the treatments from the KHC. At the hospital, if it is not your day, nobody cares for you and they also chase you away. At the KHC whenever I need assistance I receive it.’

Prossy and her husband own the house where they live, and their jobs allow them a decent living. Prossy makes tablemats that she tries to sell, though she complains that the market is not stable. However, she admits that most of their income comes from her husband’s work. ‘My husband is a beads-maker. Even now, he has gone to sell. He is also teaching to make beads at KHC. He trains some other clients who then sell their beads.’ By selling beads, they managed to build the house where they live and send their children to school. The eldest one is 18 and this toddler is the youngest one, Prossy adds pointing at her one-year-old son. She admits that she is afraid of telling her children about their parent’s health condition. ‘The children do not know that their father and I are HIV positive.

I am scared of telling them. I fear that they may think that we are going to die. When the KHC volunteers come for the home visit then they make a lot of questions. They ask me: Why, amongst all the houses of the neighbourhood, these people always come here?’ Prossy and her husband have been counselled by community workers at the KHC to learn how to overcome their fears and disclose to their children. ‘I am still not ready to tell them. However, I will one day. In the end, despite being HIV positive we are alive and healthy.’

Rebecca

Rebecca is a grandmother of 47 years old. She has 7 grandchildren, but only one of her grandchildren Derek lives with her. Derek was born HIV positive and both his parents died from HIV. ‘My son-in-law died before my daughter. He was relying on local medicine. My daughter stayed well for about two years. However, she was eating poorly and also overworking. She was making drinks from spirits, and at times, she took alcohol. Her body could not take it.’ Rebecca recounts while feeding a lively toddler.

Rebecca works as a babysitter and the children keep her quite busy. The small one-room-house where she lives with Derek is full of cloths scattered on the floor and hanged up on the wooden walls. Her husband died 10 months ago and she needs to pool enough money to provide for her grandson. ‘Baby sitting is not bringing enough money. If I could have a loan I would sell charcoal, and with that job I would buy food for Derek and all the necessities. The biggest problem I had was for Derek not going to school. However Kawempe Home Care is paying for his school fees and now he can attend classes. He is very happy and I am happy too.’ Rebecca says.

After the death of Derek’s mother, Rebecca took her grandson to the KHC to be tested and he was tested positive. Rebecca pictures Derek as a brave young boy. When his parents died and Derek was told he had the same disease as his mother he was scared. But the doctor explained him that if he follows the medications he will be fine. The doctor also told him that he can live a very long life. The reassurance that Derek received made his doubts and fears disappear and allows him to live a careless and happy childhood. Rebecca wants to work hard to bring up Derek until he is a strong and happy adult. And one day - she says - when I will not manage anymore he will take care of me.

Ruth

‘When I was told that my husband was HIV positive I felt really bitter. I was angry at him. I asked him why you do this to me. Why are you killing me? You loved other people and brought me HIV. I want to separate. But he died.’ Ruth’s husband died in 2004 because he refused to take his medications. Ruth later discovered she was HIV positive. She is now a 43-years-old tall and desperately thin woman. She lives with one of her two sons in an unusually big and empty house where they rent one room to a woman in her thirties who is also HIV positive and lives with her toddlers.

Before getting sick Ruth was selling clothes while the husband was selling flowers and they managed to provide for the family. Now, Ruth cannot have a job because she is still too weak. After breakfast, every day the son goes to fetch some food. ‘There is a man who brings food on the vehicle,’ Ruth explains, while she crouches down on the floor appearing even smaller and thinner. ‘This man sells the food and once everyone has bought something he allows my son to take the remaining.’ She says, and hastens to shows a ripe pineapple and a medium cauliflower.

Despite wishing that her sons could go to school, Ruth is proud of the child who supports her, although the boy is not always lucky. At times, people buy everything and nothing is left for them. When he arrives home empty-handed mother and son simply stay hungry. When her husband died, Ruth never had her children tested but she is sure that they are both healthy. Initially, she was afraid of dying like the husband, but seeing other people under treatment gave her the courage to start the medications. ‘I went first to the hospital but if it’s not your day nobody cares for you. I wasn’ t getting better, but thanks to God I met Joyce.’ Early this year, Joyce, a friend who volunteers at the Kawempe Home Care, started taking care of Ruth and brought her to the clinic. ‘I am still quiet weak but the doctor from KHC comes to visit me at home three times per month.’

Thinking about the care she receives from the KHC she feels deeply moved and struggles to find the words to express her gratitude. Then, with a smile on her face she breaks the silence and says: ‘People at the KHC do their work with one heart, and you do not find such a place anywhere else. I tell you that when you are with them you do not even think of your brothers and sisters.’

Ruth feels that slowly but steadily her health is improving. But at times I wonder: what am I going to do once I am cured? She would like to sell cloths as she used to do in the past but she is lacking money to start the business. ‘ If I could talk to God I would tell Him all my problems since the moment I begun suffering up today. I would also thank Him, of course and ask Him the favour to let me go back to the markets and sell my clothes.’

These stories are not uncommon however, it does not take very much to make a world of difference to their lives- we need your help to be able to do this.