WiRED working with people with HIV/AIDS
by James Mwangi, AGRI CHIC Site, NAKURU

My name is James Mwangi. I am 29 years old and I am living with H.I.V. Through out my school life, I never had access to detailed information about H.I.V./A.I.D.S. and other sexually transmitted infections. My parents never discussed sex with my siblings and I. When I was 18 years old, my peers often talked about sex. They talked about how good it was, but never about how risky it could be if one did not take precautions. However, I managed to complete my high school education before having sexual intercourse. I had sex with my first girlfriend in 1994. Soon after I moved to another town where I had multiple sexual partners and I believe this is when I became infected with HIV.

My parents took me to hospital where I was admitted. Several tests were conducted including one for HIV, and I tested positive for HIV. I was discharged after 11 days. At home everyone was afraid of me. They set separate utensils and a washing basin for me. I felt stigmatized and became very traumatized.

When my health improved, I left home in confusion. I decided to travel far and commit suicide. As I prepared to take poison, I changed my mind and decided not to take my life. I lived in denial for a long time. Later in 1999, I fell sick again. I decided to go home to die. On my way home, I stopped at Nakuru town to see one of my old friends. It was there that I heard about a counseling center, which I visited and was counseled and tested again for HIV. The result was positive.

This time I had to accept reality. I cried like a baby. The counselor referred me to a support group of people living with HIV/AIDS. They talked with me and encouraged me to accept my status and live. One of the members who had full-blown AIDS encouraged me saying that I could live long life despite having the virus. I was encouraged.

I made a decision never to deliberately infect anyone with HIV. Instead I decided to tell people about HIV/AIDS. I went home to reconcile with my parents. We openly discussed my status. I resolved to go back to Nakuru town to continue with the HIV/AIDS activities. My brothers and sisters bitterly accepted the reality about my status. Back in Nakuru, many PLWHAs (staff members) died and we buried them. It was a sad experience.

I attended several outreach sessions about positive living with HIV/AIDS. The trainer was also HIV positive. We decided to live, support and carry each other's burden — HIV/AIDS.

In the year 2002, I married a lady who I met during one of the trainings. That same year, I joined a group of young people known as Appropriate Grassroots Initiatives (AGRI). Their objective is to advocate for behavior change and improve access to HIV/AIDS care and support services to the infected and affected. In 2003, AGRI in partnership with WiRED international opened up a community health information center (CHIC) at the AGRI offices in Nakuru. Here the community accesses health information free of charge. AGRI also integrated a voluntary counseling and testing (VCT) site.

Wired international through other organizations in Kenya and elsewhere have put up many CHICS. I thank both WIRED and AGRI for accepting me as a PLWHA and giving me the opportunity to serve people through them. Involving PLWHAs in HIV/AIDS awareness training and other activities is one good way to supporting those people living with HIV. It's called in another way great involvement of PLWHAs (GIP), which was featured in Abuja declaration. I urge other organizations to imitate this example and involve PLWHAs with skills in delivering their services. Thumbs up for AGRI and WIRED international!

If there had been information centers like CHIC, where people can freely access information on health including HIV/AIDS and even STDs, before I became infected with HIV, then perhaps I wouldn't have become infected.

At Nakuru CHIC site, I am a client support staff member. I also do post test counseling to people who test positive; we speak about positive living. We have formed a support group of PLWHAs known as 'Ambassadors of Hope.' The greatest challenge we face as PLWHAs is that we cannot afford to buy the anti-retro viral drugs. We look forward to the day that government and donor agencies will provide them for free.

Anytime we 'Ambassadors of Hope' meet, we smile as we sing our song that I composed:

My message to the world is:

1. Prevent yourself and others from being infected with HIV.
2. Love, care and support people infected or affected with /by HIV/AIDS.
3. Help a person living with HIV /AIDS to be someone.

^ Back to the Top