Women: Support Group – a life giving mission in Jos.
Women Support: The Jos community has been working with people suffering from HIV since 2006. Each month we hold a support group meeting in our house in Jos. People come from all the surrounding area to share their stories and encourage one another. 90 percent of our group are women and many of these are widows. When HIV strikes a family, usually the husband denies its existence.
The wife knows nothing until she becomes pregnant and goes to the hospital. Then she’s given the life-shattering news, “did you know you are HIV positive?” From that moment on these women have to struggle to stay alive and at the same time provide for their families.
HIV is no respecter of age. Many children are born with it and have to take drugs for the rest of their lives. Many teenagers find this very difficult. Two clients were born with HIV. The mother died and so the child had to go and live with her grandmother.
Her father married another woman and has disowned her. The client’s parents are both positive. His mother died six years ago. Life is not easy for children living with the effects of AIDS.
Another client struggled with HIV for many years. She was tired of taking drugs and so stopped taking them. This can be fatal. Her 15 year old daughter cared for her for the last two years and she eventually gave up September 2020.
A client was born with HIV. Both his parents have died. He finds it very difficult to be faithful to taking drugs every day.
HIV does not discriminate between religions. Some of our Muslim brothers and sisters were part of our meeting. For the past 16 years Muslims and Christians have met together and prayed together in our house, even during the Jos crisis!.
At our meeting we dance, sing, do drama and invite people to come and enlighten us about the best way of dealing with life when faced with HIV. Over the years we have become good friends.
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