Motivating youths to stay positive
As they go about their lives, dealing with physical, emotional and sexual changes, some adolescents in the country are also learning for the first time that they have been lied to about Aids—- a disease that leaves them feeling stigmatised and alone.
They have to find ways to process and live with that new knowledge and that is where the services of organisations such as National Association of Young People Living with HIV and Aids in Malawi (NYPLHIV) come in handy, to encourage young people against stigma, shame, denial and discrimination (SSADD).
The former national coordinator for the organisation, 32-year-old Faith Kalonga decided to look beyond her work and continue with that vision even on her own.
“Most young people, especially girls are getting loose. They take HIV and Aids issues very lightly, but Aids is real and everyone needs to guard their life and ensure they do not contract the HIV virus while those that are positive need to live life well to avoid premature deaths,” she says.
Kalonga, who is currently operating a cosmetics business in Machinjiri, goes around churches, schools and any other gatherings, sensitising the youth on SSADD.
“I am a young activist who has the passion to work with young people. So, I go around encouraging them that they can do better in life even if they are HIV positive. I have also found out that most youths in the country lack information on sexual and reproductive health rights (SRHR) and in my motivational talks I enlighten them on that as well,” she says.
She also notes that most youths who get complacent on taking their anti-retroviral therapy (ART) drugs, are losing their lives while others who are drinking heavily while on medication are getting worse.
Disclosure of one’s status is still hard for most youths, because stigma remains common practice in society, according to Kalonga, who is also affiliated to other international organisations such as Afrian and Y-Plus, dealing with a similar course as her work locally.
She noted that adolescents living with HIV were either born with it, had unsafe sex or were raped by uncles and step fathers.
Kalonga says infections for new-borns have gone down of late because of the Prevention from Mother to Child Transmission (PMTCT) interventions.
