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It is another journey with misery and pain, another journey with suffering and worry. It is another journey with AIDS. Fortunately, this time the journey includes strong will and determination to reach a final destination.
Tom Onsongo, a 58-year-old Kenyan, is a part-time television actor and a former civil servant. He has been living with HIV for eight years now. He discovered that living with HIV is a journey that only a resolute traveler who insists on reaching his or her destination can travel.
HIV+
| "Such a cost was so prohibitive that it locked out many patients from accessing the drugs." |
Onsongo learned of his status after his doctor had advised him to undergo an HIV/AIDS test. "My doctor prompted me to undergo a test after discovering that I was suffering from various opportunistic diseases," Onsongo said.
A father of one, Onsongo is married to an HIV-positive partner whom he met while he sought counseling and treatment for HIV/AIDS. Because the drugs that prevent the mother-child transmission of HIV had been available, their child was born HIV-negative.
"Immediately when I knew my status, I started seeking treatment, and thanks to Médecins Sans Frontières, I was among the first people to be put on antiretroviral treatment in Kenya," Onsongo said.
According to the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS), in 2006, Kenya had an estimated number of 1.3 million people living with HIV. About 56 percent of them are women and 11 percent are children.
The estimates also reveal that 140,000 Kenyans die of HIV-related illnesses every year and the number of orphaned children is more than 1.1 million.
Onsongo said that back then the monthly dose of antiretroviral drugs (ARVs) used to cost an average of US$317 before the government started to subsidize them. "Such a cost was so prohibitive that it locked out many patients from accessing the drugs," he added.
With the support offered by Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF), a nongovernmental organization that offers medical services in many poor countries, Onsongo says he had found a lifeline. Expressing his gratitude for the organization for saving his life, Onsongo said that free ARV treatment has managed to turn around his health in the last three and a half years, during which he has been on treatment. "They have been life-giving and lifesaving to me," he pointed out with a smile.
Going Public
| "The method used created fear rather than giving the right information that can empower people to lead safer lives." |
Having taken the journey down-the-line, Onsongo said that when he went public about his status, his family members did not reject him,
I was lucky that my family did not treat it as an embarrassment and dishonor but rather tried to accommodate. Not so many people in the same boat are treated that way.
It was a big surprise to him that on revealing his status during his work as a civil servant some of his staff mates treated him as a hero. "I was buoyed by the encouragement I got from some of my colleagues at work. Those who opposed my move perhaps kept it to themselves," he said.
However, Onsongo resigned from his governmental job to work for an advertising firm while still appearing on national TV as an actor on a part-time basis.
According to him, people living with HIV are still subjected to stigma in the country,
The first time I came face-to-face with the reality of stigma was when I once visited a church on an awareness campaign and some people refused to shake hands with me.
Onsongo believes that the main reason for stigma is ignorance. "Because of various inspiring campaigns and those who openly announce their status, we have been able to change the mentality of many people," he explained.
He continued, "In my neighborhood, people knock on my door to reveal their status to me and seek counseling. Although they mostly prefer to do it in confidence, I perceive it as a step in the right direction."
He blamed the approach that was initially used to create awareness about HIV/AIDS as having enhanced the stigma associated with the virus in the society. "The method used created fear rather than giving the right information that can empower people to lead safer lives," he said.
According to him, the change in the message's design and presentation has enabled many people to acquire the right information, which resulted in great hope for a behavioral change in the country.
Activist
| "The issue of HIV/AIDS in work environment is a challenging one, because employees are sometimes sacked once their HIV [positive] status is known." |
Onsongo was offered training by MSF on various aspects of managing the disease. "I have been trained on basic treatment, counseling, nutrition, and any necessary information specific to HIV/AIDS," Onsongo explained.
As a result, he is currently a trainer who trains others on offering information to the public and also to people living with the disease encouraging them to lead positive lives.
Through his work as an activist, he found that HIV-positives still face discrimination at workplaces. So, he decided to work with people having the same interest to promote tolerance and respect for people living with HIV/AIDS. He visits many governmental departments and private companies in an attempt to create awareness about the disease and offer counseling services to the infected. Describing his work in this field, he said,
The issue of HIV/AIDS in work environment is a challenging one, because employees are sometimes sacked once their HIV [positive] status is known. I endeavor to reach out to both employees and employers to create awareness and foster tolerance and respect for the rights of those living with the virus.
Onsongo is also the national chairman of the Network of Post-Test Committees (committees for people who have tested positive for HIV/AIDS). The network educates people about HIV and other related aspects, such as the behavioral changes among vulnerable groups (e.g. the youth). People are also offered counseling services on how to deal with stigma or discrimination. Onsongo is proud that his efforts have been noted on the national level and that he can make a contribution in turning around the lives of many Kenyans.
Obstacles
| "The government lacks the resources to avail antiretroviral medications to all public hospitals." |
Onsongo said that the number of people who receive ARVs is only 150,000 out of the possible 300,000 who should be on the drugs. On the other hand, there is a lack of well-trained personnel who can dispense the drugs. "It is not unusual for patients to be given wrong combination of ARVs," Onsongo said.
The question of accessibility perturbs him the most. "The government lacks the resources to avail antiretroviral medications to all public hospitals," he added. He pointed out that some patients are sometimes compelled to travel from upcountry to come and receive the drugs in Nairobi.
"The sustainability of the ARV supply," he said, "is also in doubt because a large percent of the support comes from the private sector and should they withdraw their support, a shortage of drugs will occur."
He said that he, personally, has been able to survive because — apart from the support from MSF — he is paid for the HIV/AIDS campaigns he conducts at workplaces.
Onsongo is also saddened by the emergence of multidrug-resistant tuberculosis (TB) in the country. He said that the disease, which more than 200 people have already been diagnosed with, poses a challenge to the gains achieved by ARVs.
"People living with HIV/AIDS are highly vulnerable to TB infection; hence many of them are susceptible to infection of the disease," he explained. His fear is that the disease is likely to spread very fast in the slums, which can create more challenges to the HIV-prevention initiatives in the country.
Nutrition
| "One might not be able to afford expensive food, but I insist on a fresh, affordable, and balanced diet." |
Another problem that people living with HIV grapple with is nutrition. Onsongo said,
You can give ARVs, but if their recipients are on poor diets, managing HIV/AIDS becomes a Herculean task because, like any drug, ARVs are more effective when those who receive them are adequately nourished.
He said that although he has an income, he is still fighting to ensure a healthy diet for his family. Skillful budgeting and balancing are required for a household that lives on less than US$1 for a balanced meal. "One might not be able to afford expensive food, but I insist on a fresh, affordable, and balanced diet," he said.
What is of particular note is that the majority of the people he works with in Nairobi are from the slums.
Sources:
UNAIDS: Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS. Accessed 4 Dec. 2007.
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