Success Story: Hope Under the Shade of a Cocoa Tree
Mrs. Kouamé, 35 years old, lives in the village of Zamaka with her husband and five children. She was a regular attendee at farmer field school activities. One day, during one of the sessions, she met two female guest speakers who had come to lead sessions about HIV. Mrs. Kouamé was shocked to learn that both of the women were HIV positive.
“I could not believe my eyes and ears!” she says. “Nothing in the appearance of those ladies suggested that they could possibly be infected with the virus. They were beautiful and apparently wealthy, too.”
Woman in the Zamaka farmer field school learning the correct use of condoms
Mrs. Kouamé admitted that although she had seen various HIV prevention messages on TV, she remained skeptical about the prevalence of the virus. Like many others in her village, she believed that only people who looked thin and sickly could be living with HIV.
The guest speakers encouraged field school participants to get tested for HIV, explaining that the earlier one knows his or her status, the better. They also told participants about the existence of medication that would allow those who detected HIV early to live longer than they would have otherwise.
Their testimony was a wake-up call for Mrs. Kouamé. “After I heard the women speak, my decision was made,” she says. “I had to know my HIV status.”
Soon after the women spoke, a team trained by FHI to provide voluntary counseling and testing, arrived in her village on a Saturday in September 2008. Mrs. Kouamé was one of the first villagers to get tested.
“When my results were announced, for a moment I thought my life had stopped,” Mrs. Kouamé says. “But today I can say with hope, that under the shade of the cocoa trees, in the farmer field school, I was born once again. I am HIV–positive, but I am one step ahead of the disease. With this knowledge, I can do a better job of planning my life and taking care of my family with the support of my husband.”
On that same day, five other people tested positive in Zamaka. All of them were referred for care and treatment.
WCF thanks Family Health International for contributing this story.