Walking the Talk - VSO

Box 4. The power of ART in Nigeria: from HIV and AIDS to health and wealth 154“My name is Mary Bulus, the third wife of late Mr Bulus. I live in Amper village, which is just 200 km from Jos.Unfortunately, after three months of marriage, our husband died of a ‘terrible health condition’. The other wivesalso died of the same condition.I went back to my parents. After some months, I started having frequent diarrhoea and drastic weight loss. I wasadvised to visit the hospital where I tested positive. It was then I realised that my husband and the other twowives had all died of AIDS. The doctor lamented that my CD4 count was very low and that I stood little chancefor survival. I was very afraid. When the community people heard about my condition, they stigmatised me andwould not buy the kunu zaki and zobo (local non-alcoholic drink) [that I sell] saying it must have beencontaminated with the virus. I started the ART drugs with the help of the church and Gospel Health andDevelopment (GHaDS), an NGO. Then I became stronger and could do other jobs.Two months later, I added weight and felt stronger. I decided to embark on farming. On one occasion in the farm,one of the villagers, surprised at my improvement said:“Am I seeing a ghost or a human being? Or have they started removing the virus from those living with it?”I now live a normal life and my parents are happy to see me agile again. I have improved my farm and sell severalbags of grains to retailers in the market. This was made possible through the Positive Living Support Scheme ofN50,000 [about $400] provided by GHaDS. Right now I am the only benefactor who has paid back the loansuccessfully and have enough capital to sustain my business.”women living with HIV and who are using ARVs face acommon problem that our husbands or partners tend toforce us to give them our ARV dose while he has nottested for HIV and doesn’t know his CD4 counts…Even if you refuse he will find where you keep yourmedicine and steal them.” 148 Fear of disclosure andsubsequent violence, discrimination or abandonment alsoleads many women and girls to try to hide theirmedication in order to conceal their HIV status. A recentstudy of 560 women in Zambia, for example, found that76% of women on ART did not adhere to their treatmentas prescribed because they were trying to hide theirpills. 149 More research is necessary however to determinethe global impact of gender relations on women’sadherence to ART.While the adherence of some women to ART isundermined by economic dependency on theirhusbands, or inadequate information regarding thecourse of treatment they must follow (see Chapter 2),efficacy of treatment may be undermined by lack ofaccess to food. Effectiveness of ART directly correlateswith a well-balanced diet. Lack of nutrients underminesan already weakened immune system, therebyincreasing the susceptibility of women living with HIVand AIDS to opportunistic infections. According to theWorld Health Organization, “optimal antiretroviraltreatment requires safe, clean drinking water and abalanced diet rich in energy, protein and micronutrients…good nutrition and clean water may make antiretroviraltherapy easier to take and help ensure thattreatment works effectively”. 150However, in situations such as extreme poverty, naturaldisasters or conflict, food security may be compromised.Furthermore, such situations mean that women may beforced to choose between treatment and food. In onereported case, a 44-year-old woman in Tanzania sold asix month supply of ART to get money to take care ofher grandchildren. 151 New research conducted in twodistricts in Rwanda found that women living with HIVand AIDS who stayed behind in the villages had littlemoney to afford nutritious food while their men workedand lived in cities. Furthermore, despite the fact thatwomen gather, prepare and serve the food in almostevery society, research from multiple sources indicatesthat women eat last, after ensuring their partners andchildren are fed. In situations of famine, this oftenmeans that women may not eat adequately or don’t eatat all. 152For ART or treatment for opportunistic infections to beeffective, the full course of treatment must be strictlyfollowed and the correct dosage taken as prescribed.Failure to do so can increase an individual’s risk ofsevere illness or can lead, in some circumstances, toWalking the talk putting women's rights at the heart of the HIV and AIDS response 33