July 24, 2024
“I am no longer ashamed of myself, and I do not hide myself anymore. Today, I encourage people to get themselves tested, because now I know, HIV will not kill you if you get treatment and take care of yourself.”
Charity’s life took an unexpected turn when she was taken from her village to Abuja, Nigeria’s bustling capital, by a relative who promised her a better life. However, upon arrival, those promises crumbled into a harsh reality. Charity was forced to work as a waiter and sex worker in the restaurant and guest house owned by her relative. Her life was fraught with exploitation and abuse.
Determined to reclaim her dignity, Charity made the courageous decision to stop sex work. This defiance came at a steep price: she was evicted from the accommodation provided by her relative and thrust into homelessness. With no place to call home, she sought refuge in a church during the evenings. To survive, she began hawking okrika (thrift clothes) for another relative. It was during one of the hawking visits in 2016 that Charity first encountered Mrs. Uju Nwakor, the Site Administrator of the Army Defence Headquarters Medical Centre, a Walter Reed Army Institute of Research and Nigeria Ministry of Defence Health Implementation Programme (WRAIR-Africa/MODHIP) HIV comprehensive service site, who was conducting free HIV testing in the area.
Despite this initial encounter, it wasn't until 2017, during another hawking round, that Charity consented to a HIV test provided through the WRAIR-MODHIP program site in Abuja. The results indicated that she was living with HIV. Charity was overwhelmed with fear and despair and fled the health facility. However, the dedicated HIV Program staff followed her to where she lived. They offered her unwavering support, counselling her and encouraging her to begin anti-retroviral therapy (ART).
Initially, Charity resisted, and her health deteriorated. Yet, the staff at the facility were committed to her recovery and never wavered. They provided her with continuous care, following up with phone calls and in-person visits when necessary. During each telephone call and visit, the focus was on her achieving viral suppression through adherence on ART for a heathier future. The level of care provided and genuine concern for her wellbeing were instrumental in her journey towards viral suppression.
Charity became pregnant, and although her partner abandoned her with the pregnancy, she refused to surrender to despair. The Program offered her an opportunity for income skills building, and she chose to enroll to learn tailoring.
One of Charity’s greatest joys is how the dedication of the site trained counselors on strengthening her adherence skills to ART medication paid off. The result of her adherence was a beautiful baby born with a HIV negative status. Charity’s viral load had become undetectable, preventing transmission to her child during the pregnancy. This triumph has become a beacon of hope in Charity’s life.
The Program’s personnel continued to make personal sacrifices towards supporting her to thrive. For example, she said “after I put to bed, staff from the clinic bought cartons of milk for my baby for one year and contributed funds to support my move from a shared apartment to a self-contained apartment” she said with a wide smile across her face.
Charity admits she had felt irresponsible and ashamed of her status. However, through continued supportive counselling sessions, and the exceptional care and support she received, along with the tailoring income skills intervention, she has overcome self-stigma, and has become a strong voice for advocacy for HIV testing and adherence on HIV treatment for achieving viral suppression at the site. Upon completion of her skills acquisition training in tailoring, she will receive start up kits, which will empower her to become self-resilient as she builds her career in fashion design.
Funded by the Presidential Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) and implemented by the HJF Medical Research International Ltd/Gte, the partnership between WRAIR-Africa and MODHIP is positively shaping the lives of many Nigerians across its program sites in Nigeria.