Born HIV Free - The Global Fund in Ethiopía
Sister Sada, who works at the Makele AIDS clinic in Ethiopia, has guided a lot of women through difficult times, from discovering they have HIV to ensuring they haven't transmitted the illness to their child. The clinic is one of almost 400 in the country. The Global Fund subsidizes the antiretroviral drugs for the mother to take throughout pregnancy and after birth, as well as a one-off dose for the newborn.
"This is a great source of relief for pregnant women," affirms Sister Sada, "But it can take a while for the reassurance to take effect. When women first learn they are HIV-positive they are afraid. They are crying and we don’t talk about the [positive] status to their husbands. We counsel them.” says Sister Sada.
Once the women accept they have the virus, they try to bring their husbands along to get tested too. Knowing that the health of their unborn child is potentially at stake can be a strong motivator for men to find out if they are HIV positive.
©The Global Fund/John Rae
www.bornhivfree.org
