Winning strategy: Eliminating mother-to-child transmission of HIV/AIDS
Thanks to funding from UNAIDS, UNICEF is supporting a program aimed at eliminating mother-to-child transmission of HIV/AIDS. This program strategically engages mentor mothers and champion men to raise awareness in the community.
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On Wednesday, September 25, 2024, mentor mothers and champion men held an experience-sharing meeting in the commune of Marangara in the province of Ngozi. Topics discussed included monitoring pregnant and breastfeeding women, supporting children at risk of HIV, self-testing, tracing those who have been lost to follow-up or who have dropped out of treatment, mentoring, home visits, and collaboration with health centers.
UNICEF is supporting this program, which is an initiative of the National Program to Combat AIDS, Sexually Transmitted Infections, and Viral Hepatitis (PNLS/IST/HV). It is part of a strategy to train mentor mothers and male champions to prevent mother-to-child transmission of HIV. This initiative is a cornerstone of Burundi's efforts to eliminate new HIV infections by 2030.
These individuals play a crucial role in their communities due to their reputation and their ability to effectively disseminate HIV awareness messages and support pregnant and breastfeeding women under treatment. By breaking taboos and proactively raising awareness, they are actively helping to save the lives of women and children.
The mentor mothers and champion men are respected members of their communities. Having faced HIV themselves, they have chosen not to hide but to use their experience to raise awareness. They play a vital role in encouraging regular screening of pregnant and breastfeeding women, while emphasizing the importance of antiretroviral (ARV) treatment for those already infected. Their mission is to break taboos, save lives, and reduce stigma.
Ciragiye Pascaline, a 48-year-old mentor mother and mother of four healthy children, shares her story with emotion. “My life was turned upside down when I discovered that my husband was HIV-positive and hadn’t told me. This led to the tragic loss of our child during a miscarriage. This immense pain motivated me to fight so that other women would not have to experience the same tragedy.”
Pascaline has found unshakeable strength through this tragedy. “I am determined to raise as many people's awareness as possible. I will never be able to bring my child back, but if I can save even one life, it will be worth it.”
She concludes with a powerful statement: “Ignorance kills more than disease.”
Mother mentors and male champions often report that ignorance and fear contribute more to the spread of the disease than the virus itself. As one participant at the meeting said: “It's not the disease that kills, it's ignorance. People are not informed!”
Ndimubansi Charles, a 42-year-old champion, shares his story. A healthy father of five, he went through incredible trials before finding balance. “I almost died and lost a lot of weight. I also lost money looking for solutions in traditional medicine. But today, it's as if I have been resurrected.”
