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Harare – As publicly disclosed the status & # 39; its HIV over a decade ago, the fashion model Tendai Westerhof forced stigma on foot and describes himself as the scourge surface.
Married with & # 39; former Warriors coach Clemens Westerhof, the couple divorced in 2002 in the same year revealed that she was HIV positive.
Below are excerpts of & # 39; interview with Nkomo had Nokuthaba writer & # 39; Daily News.
Q: You have been programs & # 39; & # 39 b channels, and consistent health for women and girls who lived with HIV / Aids. S & # 39; have your driving?
A: Għejt long way and I want to thank the media to be there for me, to support me.
As you know when svelajt the state & # 39; My HIV nearly twenty years ago, there were so many mixed reactions to it but at the end of the day whatever the media might have written, there are always good publicity.
None ever mhija bad publicity. I'm happy to say that over the years managed to change my most women to understand issues surrounding HIV and stories like mine are what they want to hear.
What is that I really saqni the surface & # 39; it is envy experience, not drama.
It is real life and that alone hinders going out of your way to make sure that you take care of yourself and the next person has sufficient information to to contract HIV, and whether they should take precautions to survive the disease and start a new life once they accept their status.
So this is the road that I've traveled and know that my fortunes changed.
Q: You & # 39; please walk me through & # 39; your professional history?
A: When finished level "O My", worked as a secretary and personal assistant account (PA) f & # 39; one of the major motorcycle companies.
It was one of those PAs & # 39; top-class and I remember in & # 39; years that I actually voted secretary of the year. I had my work well and f & # 39; that young people account time modeling and is also on the cover of & # 39; front & # 39; number & # 39; magazines, you know, but of course I had my children in the street.
I had my first child in 1987 when I was only 21.
But because God blessed b & # 39; youthful look, with nħaresx my age, so even f & # 39; 21 nobody can & # 39; say that I was a child, even going to quote & # 39; Beauty in & # 39; that time when you used to model for Edgars and participated in fashion shows, already a mother I know.
With your fate, however, change things, but the good thing is I'm a person who keeps things feeling in & # 39; mind.
My main thrust is to talk and talk when the pain itself some sort of & # 39; healing.
People react with & # 39; differently to situations especially when it comes to HIV / Aids, even today we are still people who are in denial about their status. B & # 39; difference from the past, we now have treatment.
Q: S & # 39; is the money to get treatment in time tested positive?
A: I remember in 2002 when positive I would buy my own treatment and was worth about $ 180,000 for supply & # 39; quarter and the money were real Zimbabwe dollars.
I used to take the pills b & # 39; private way but I realized that was not the end of the world. I am one person that I & # 39; to say that people wanted, I've been broken over the years, but not & # 39; longer concentrate on that.
Focus on the good things you did to help people.
Around early 2000s and when svelajt status & # 39; My HIV, formed an organization known as Public Personalities against HIV and Aids Trust.
I get many of these people eloquenti of & # 39; class to reach my office including their women and yet nor did a course on counseling.
I just nitkellimhom how I feel without going by the book, but I spoke to them about how I feel as a person who had come face & # 39; face with & # 39; HIV, face & # 39; face with & # 39; Aids.
A few years & # 39; below, I met & # 39; them along the way and recognize me.
I remember there was one security company, I think it was Securico, the first person I called to speak with their security guards, there were about 7000.
I went and addressed them in a large field just to talk about HIV.
So many lives have changed, but some people do not fail them well and do not know for what reason.
Maybe it's because I'm a woman, I am talking, talking in & # 39; my mind and take action on the situation and try to make people see x & # 39; & # 39 is living with, HIV.
Q: HIV / AIDS affected men and women in Zimbabwe and the government interventions were given by & # 39; equitably to both men and women, because they have chosen to represent women as some critics say it's like a feminist?
A: No never stopped men to mobilize themselves to fight HIV / Aids.
We expect to see the men who would come to say that fighting HIV / Aids as men.
I know we have at international level organizations such as Men ENGAGE, therefore nieħuhiex as an argument, because we know that statistics in Zimbabwe, in Sub Saharan Africa and around the world show that women are more affected by HIV than men.
So we embraced and emerged as a women to do something about it.
We are easy to timmobilizzaw, accept and seek more health services than men.
Of course, we accept things as women faster than men and even when it comes to looking healthy behavior, we tend to we visit the health facilities and go for medical examinations.
Since women are more affected than men then started going in then & # 39; of & # 39; leadership to address issues that affect us as women.
Q: You must be space in the deep processes as women, x & # 39; they exactly your expectations?
A: What you are saying as women living with HIV is that we contribute through the global fund.
Not saying that was not done but many women living with HIV do not have information on how to participate in processes & # 39; global funds, which is the process of making the Women's Coalition African Positive ( PAPWC), so consultations in & # 39; Mashonaland West in the last few days.
Fifty and two percent of women consulted were not aware of the global fund.
Q: S & # 39; are the other projects that are currently working in PAPWC?
A: Working with & # 39; girls and adolescents on issues & # 39; reproductive health and building life skills.
We build the capabilities of & # 39; & # 39 support; groups & # 39; women living with HIV and help them formulate groups & # 39; support do not exist. and ensure that women involved in all processes to work & # 39; & # 39 related to, HIV in the country and beyond.
Q: The young women and adolescents respond to these programs by watching are generally uncomfortable when to disclose their HIV status?
A: They participate in their own way, especially in corners friendly youth.
There are groups & # 39; support for adolescents living with HIV and do not always ensure that nħalltux & # 39; adult women because sometimes uncomfortable jħossuxhom.
Still growing and sometimes do not want to reveal their status and owe their privacy, not to neskluduhomx to stigma and discrimination.
We still have a lot of stigma and discrimination towards people living with HIV to enable & # 39; imagine if it goes teenage girl and is known to be HIV positive.
It comes with & # 39; many implications. It can & # 39; reject and even courting guy can & # 39; end up saying that I do not want you to be HIV positive.
Although it does not know its state, always put the blame on women, so it is important to give them privacy.
However, we continue to give them information so they can make an informed decision. As PAPWC naħdmux not alone.
While working in & # 39; communities we are also forming partnerships and collaborations with & # 39; some organizations.
There are also some youth organizations targeting young people in & # 39; tertiary institutions.
Q: S & # 39; are your future plans as PAPWC?
A: We must continue this work to ensure that we maintain the momentum especially women from vulnerable communities and the hard to reach areas at local level.
They have desires and their own desires. They said they would like to have projects & # 39; personal support and wish the group & # 39; Their support will be functional, so we must be able to build their capacities for groups & # 39; support to ensure that they are sustainable for women to be empowered.
Once given the power can do much to help their families and take care of their own health needs.
We seek the PAPWC be encouraged to ensure that the information you & # 39; out from the base to the highest level, so that women's voices can be captured and amplified.
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