 |
||||||||
|
MAPUTO, Mozambique, Sept. 27, 2004 — For Elias Mondlane, a 44-year-old divorcee and father of three, a visit to PSI/Mozambique's RENASCER voluntary HIV counseling and testing center (VCT) was the defining moment of his life. In fact, it is what he considers the beginning of his "actual life," a fitting statement for a center whose English translation means "to be born again." PSI's RENASCER VCT network has been expanding rapidly since its 2002 launch, accounting for a growing percentage of the Mozambique VCT market and having a profound impact on the lives of the thousands of people it tests. As a result, PSI estimates it has prevented 212 primary HIV infections (infections prevented directly by PSI program activity) and 2,517 secondary infections (infections prevented indirectly by PSI program activity over the following 12 months) in the first eight months of 2004. RENASCER receives funding from the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) though the U.S. Agency for International Development, in addition to support from the British Department for International Development. Operating in fifteen fixed and six satellite sites, PSI/Mozambique has seen over 40,000 clients this year as of August, already surpassing the 2003 total of 37,000. RENASCER center clients represent about 40% of the national total; no other organization in the country sees as many clients. In 2002, sick all the time, Elias Mondlane saw a doctor who recommended an HIV test. Mondlane went to a RENASCER center in Maputo and had his initial counseling session with a PSI-trained counselor. PSI/Mozambique trains counselors and provides extensive supervision and management oversight to ensure high quality services at the RENASCER sites located within or adjacent to existing health clinics and hospitals. Exit surveys show that more than 90% of clients were satisfied with the services they received and would recommend them to others. Mondlane remembers his counselor as being helpful, understanding and full of patience while explaining HIV/AIDS and answering his questions. The counselor prepared him for the test, and he felt ready to know his status. When the result came back positive, Mondlane did not become angry or afraid. He was instead relieved to know the cause of his illness, and made the decision to change his behavior and lifestyle. Acting on the information gained in his pre- and post- test counseling, Mondlane spoke to his family and his two ex-wives about his HIV status, made his sons undergo HIV counseling and testing and adopted a healthier lifestyle, eliminating drinking and smoking, improving his nutrition, limiting his sexual partners and always using condoms. Though Mondlane admits it was hard to maintain those decisions in the early days, he persisted and was able to maintain a positive life. Today he is receiving antiretroviral treatment and is in good health. After the initial shock of his discovery, PSI referred Mondlane to Médecins Sans Frontières where he began attending the Group of Positive people (Grupos de Apoio). He was amazed to see that so many people living with HIV/AIDS had been rejected by their families, friends and employers. He began to work with the group on a daily basis because, as he says, "A solidão mata mas que o SIDA" (loneliness kills more than AIDS), and he is now the group's president. This comprehensive service, from counseling to care referral, is shaping the lives of RENASCER's clients for the better. "My life now is different, and my values have changed. Now, I am more interested in having a better life, healthier habits and more care about me. But I am less selfish with others, because I want to make their lives better. I know I can make changes and I am positive about my future, because I am sure humans are superior and we will find a cure for HIV/AIDS one day." — Karrie Carnes, PSI/Washington; Pilar Sebastian, PSI/Mozambique.
|
 |
|
|||||
|
|
||||||||
