In Kenya, 1 in 10 mothers carries HIV and is highly unlikely to know that she is HIV positive for years, Scholasticah Mutuku is one of them. She had heard the rumors about how deadly HIV is, but, she didn’t want to even talk about it, let alone know her status. Living in the slum of Kibera in Nairobi, Kenya - the social stigma was just too great.
Then she became pregnant. Scholasticah had been meeting for over a year with an AMREF-trained community health worker Kosmas Ongeri who was finally able to convince Scholsticah that - only if she knew her status - could she ensure there would be no transmission of the virus to her unborn child. Scholasticah decided to visit AMREF’s comprehensive care clinic and found out that she was, indeed, positive. But, because she made it to the clinic and got tested, she was able to immediately begin therapy to prevent mother to child transmission (PMTCT) of her condition. Her ARV regimen also helps keep Scholasticah healthy and strong.
When her son, Denis, was born, he was immediately tested for HIV. Sadly, and most surprisingly, the result came back positive. Devastated with the news, Scholasticah not only followed AMREF’s guidelines to prevent Denis’ HIV from turning into AIDS, she began - through the training arm of AMREF’s project - to learn more about PMTCT, and how she could help other mothers.
Several months later, Denis tested negative. The HIV had not simply disappeared, the test had been a false positive to begin with, one of the agonizingly painful facts associated with the complex nature of this disease and the state of the world’s ability to fight it. With AMREF’s support, guidance, therapy and training, Scholasticah has set a strong, brave and resourceful example for other mothers in her situation.
Now eight years later, with a little on-going help from AMREF, Scholasticah not only continues to ensure the health and well being of her own child, but she is so knowledgeable in the area of HIV&PMTCT that she is training others to take the message to the community, while continuing to spread the word about the importance of early testing, intervention, and support in order to stop to the spread of HIV.
>> Read more about our work in Kibera
