Mabatho Ramasoiri
HIV-positive garment worker with eight dependents

Mabatho is HIV-positive and happy to talk about it. “I know if I manage my disease, I can live a longer life. I have to be there for my children,” she says.

Mabatho’s husband died of AIDS a few years ago. Being the breadwinner for eight dependent children is tough. If she succumbs to the disease there will be eight more orphans dependent on the state.

“I used to be strong but then I started to get tired easily. Even in the summer months I got colds. I had heard about HIV and AIDS on the radio, and then they started to talk about it at the factory where there are staff who help us to know our status.”

Mabatho wanted to get tested but did not feel comfortable about going to a government clinic. Then she heard about ALAFA. “I realised I could test here without having to spend all day queuing at the clinic. When I took the test I was nervous. I asked myself why I was doing this. But I got huge support from the counsellor and other people who had tested, so I felt better.”

After Mabatho was told that she was positive, she decided to share her status with her children. At first they were afraid as they thought their mother would die soon. But she explained that the ALAFA programme would help her get treatment and monitor the disease. When the time comes there will be the drugs to help her fight the disease.

“I need to guard my life. Because I know my status, I know I can look forward to a longer life. I look around the factory and see my friends and colleagues becoming ill. I try to get them to test but they won’t because they want to hide it. I tell them it’s not a crime to be HIV-positive but they don’t agree.”