Priscilla Konzani (19) who hails from the Traditional Authority Nsomba in Blantyre tested HIV Positive after both parents passed on in 2018. Priscilla said” After the death of my Parents, I used to be sick every single day and I decided to go for an HIV test at Mpemba Health Centre on 12th May 2020 where I tested HIV Positive. It was very hard for me to accept the results,”. When she disclosed her status to both her uncle and aunt they began to mistreat her. In October 2020, they refused to pay her school fees at Mthuthu Private Secondary School where Priscilla was a student before she lost her parents. They told her, she was already “gone” and had no future, therefore they could not continue to pay school fees for her. “I felt rejected and had nowhere to get relief, thanks to INERELA+ Malawi Youths whom I knew when they hosted an HIV awareness Campaign in our Village and later came with support”. Priscilla said.
Priscilla is back at Mthuthu Private Secondary School (after dropping out of school for 2 years). This was made possible with the full support of INERELA+ Malawi Youths who were trained on Faith Healing and Adherence in the area. They were able to raise funds and made payments for school fees amounting to MK30,000 ($290) per term. The INERELA+ Malawi Youths went on to raise funds to buy school uniform for Priscilla as well as exercise books. Priscilla said despite all the positive things happening in her life she doesn’t forget to take her Antiretroviral Therapy (ART) every day. Priscilla is a happy girl now at Mthuthu Private Secondary School and is expected to write exams this year. She lives a happy life. At one point, she said, indeed, “God can transform a disaster into a blessing, I was rejected but now am found with peace of mind. Thanks, INERELA+ Malawi for sending the Youths who are the pillar of my life”.
Adolescents and young people represent a growing share of people living with HIV worldwide. In 2020 about 1.75 million adolescents between the ages of 10 and 19 were living with HIV worldwide and if Youths remain silent about HIV/AIDS more than 2.72 million adolescents aged between 10-19 by 2030 will be positive worldwide. As a trained team/youth, there is no need to keep silent until one is served.
Acts: 2:45 “They sold whatever they owned and pooled their resources so that each person’s need was met”.
INERELA+ Malawi Youths in the Mpemba area is a group of 21 young people, (aged 15-25) who were trained in FAITH HEALING AND ADHERANCE and are advising their communities to go and have HIV tests at the Health Centres. Apart from that, the Youths are engaging themselves in farming by growing vegetables, making sales to raise funds to help vulnerable people in the area. So far 13 families have been assisted by these Youths.
