Transform the Lives of 13000 HIV-Positive Ugandans

“I had a boyfriend I spent close to 4 years with. He was HIV positive but never shared his status with me.”

Jackie, now 29 years of age, found out she was HIV positive just over a decade ago.

“My journey started with fevers, never ending coughs and flues. My skin began to scale, and I would itch both when it was cold and when it was hot. My boyfriend often asked me if what was happening to me was witchcraft.”

Jackie received calamine from the hospital which soothed the pain, but she still didn’t know what she was treating. One day Jackie and her sister decided to go to a clinic to check and at least rule out the option of HIV.  When the doctor arrived with the results, he asked me if he could have a moment alone without my sister and I agreed.

“When the doctor said that I was HIV positive, I saw my life flash before my eyes. I pondered on what would become of me, I thought I would die that very night in my sleep,” she narrated.

Jackie experienced most stigma from her family members, the very people she hoped would support and walk with her.

“They gossiped about me. It bothered me so much and at one point, one of my sisters couldn’t stand being in same space as me, let alone share any utensils.”

Jackie begun to receive the ARVs and swallowed them with the goal of staying alive and one day having a child of her own. “I found this good-looking young man who went on to become the man in my life at the time. We were in love and from that love came my son Raymond. My son under the care of Watoto Child care ministries received treatment from Alive Medical Services, but I received my treatment from another health facility.

“I got to know about AMS when I came to pick my son up after a long day at a different health facility. I bumped into one of the counsellors “Mummy Julian.” She saw how depressed I was and asked to have a word with me before we set off. That was the turning point in my life. Someone to be interested in me and how am doing, listening with no reservations and only interested in what I have to say. I had never experienced that anywhere.  I had been to many health facilities, but AMS was different. I understood why my son loved the place.”

“They gave us food, water purification supplies and they celebrated us being clients. Who does that for you?” Jackie wondered aloud.

She hadn’t taken her medicine in over 6 months when she came to AMS and her viral load was high, but Mummy Julian encouraged her and told her that she had more to fight for and that they were to walk this journey together.

“Today I take my medication without any hesitation and help my son take his.”

“It’s because of AMS that am still alive. It’s because everyone here plays their part and looks after each one of us, that me and my son are still breathing. I do not take for granted the phone calls that remind us of the next appointment and I look forward to the visits.”

Thanks to generous support from donors like you, Jackie now looks forward to raising her son and living a long and healthy life.

Ruth* was happily married when her husband decided to take a second wife. She was devastated, but even more so when soon after, the same second wife passed away. Ruth went to an outreach in her neighborhood to make sure her health was stable. Unfortunately, after being tested, Ruth found out she was HIV positive.

“I was heartbroken when I found out I was positive,” she said. “Even worse, I was afraid.”

Though Ruth was given medicine, for months, she went through a phase of denial. Her husband refused to get tested for HIV and as a result, his health destabilized. He constantly spoke of someone bewitching him, an attitude that hindered not only the acceptance of his status, but of Ruth’s as well.

By the time Ruth was pregnant with their next child, the couple’s relationship had fallen apart.

“I knew I was HIV positive, but at the same time, I kept avoiding it,” Ruth said. “And when I gave birth to my child, all the doctors were attending to other patients. She didn’t get the [Nevirapine] syrup [after birth].”

Ruth brought her child, a daughter named Maria, to Alive Medical Services soon after she was born. After months of testing, the doctors found Maria HIV-positive – a fact that initially devastated Ruth. But after speaking with the doctors, nurses and other clients at AMS, Ruth gained a motivation she hadn’t had since discovering her own status.

“I felt so terrible,” Ruth said. “I feared the baby wouldn’t last. But after coming to AMS, I realized Maria could survive and live a normal life. The other mothers encouraged me and showed me their children. They looked healthy even though they too were HIV positive. That’s what helped the most.”

Nearly six years later, Ruth and Maria are still clients at AMS. Ruth has separated from her husband and her health has greatly improved. Meanwhile, Maria’s viral load is suppressed, and Ruth says her health has always been stable. Maria, now 5-years-old, is playful, curious, and inquisitive; she loves going to school and playing with other children.

“As long as children take their medicine, they will live a healthy, happy life just like everyone else,” Ruth said.

Your support has helped Maria’s health remain stable - and it has also strengthened AMS' robust maternal and child health care program to decrease mother-to-child transmission of HIV. Since 2013, we haven’t had a single one of our HIV-positive clients give birth to an HIV-positive child, and we work every day to ensure mothers are equipped with the knowledge, care, and resources to keep their families healthy. For those who are raising HIV-positive children, AMS holds regular events – such as Caregiver’s Day, which Ruth and Maria both attended – to increase parents’ abilities to care for their children. Ruth found last year’s Caregiver’s Day to be extremely valuable, she said, as it taught her how to properly disclose to Maria when she reaches an older age.

Thank you for supporting the breadth of our work for our clients. We greatly appreciate your generosity!

* client’s name has been changed to protect her privacy