HIV Will Never Stop Me Achieving My Dreams

Photo by David Snyder/CRS

TZANEEN, South Africa — My name is Connature. I had heard about HIV and AIDS but I was very afraid to be tested. I became very sick. I asked my husband to do an HIV test with me. We went together and found we were both positive.

I was so stressed and feeling totally confused. I didn't know which day it was or the time and I couldn't recognize even my relatives. It was a very hard time for me and my family. Thank God for my caring husband and children. They always prayed for me and encouraged me not to give up.

With the help of my family and God I began to pick up, and I was blessed to find the Holy Family Clinic. The staff took good care of me and I started ART [antiretroviral therapy] in March 2006. They were so amazed and excited for me when I began to improve. In the beginning I used to go to the clinic for my review using a wheelchair. Now I have a job in the program. My duties include talking to the patients and encouraging them to take their treatment. I want to learn as much as possible about ART and how it works so that I can help other people.

HIV will never stop me achieving my dreams. I am so grateful that I found my way to the Holy Family ART program. I have a future ahead of me. I will be around for my children.

Help a Parish Respond to HIV and AIDS

The Diocese of Tzaneen in South Africa has high levels of poverty and unemployment. Education levels in the area are low and this situation is worsened by the movement of educated people to other parts of the country and to other countries.

Supported by Catholic Relief Services, the diocese works through all its parishes to address the AIDS pandemic in the communities it serves. The program works primarily in the areas of HIV prevention through awareness and behavior change, home-based care and treatment, and caring for children orphaned or made vulnerable by AIDS.