A Mother’s Love: Stories of Transformation from Mothers with HIV
Today, we celebrate a force so strong that it transcends any circumstance: a mother’s love. Across the regions where Untold operates, HIV-positive mothers defy what stigma has told them and press forward to raise healthy children while building vibrant families. In their own words, read the messages of resilience and unwavering love that fuels their extraordinary journeys.
Agnes Zawad • Kilifi
When Agnes was pregnant with her youngest son, the fear associated with her HIV diagnosis was too much, to the point she’d lost hope in living. This led the mother-to-be to default on her medication. However, Untold staff were committed to reviving her spirit and protecting both mother and child. John, Project Officer - Health, feared that due to her defaulting, there was a higher risk of transmitting HIV to her unborn child.
“She was very resistant to accepting our support,” John shared. “One day, I called an ambulance when she told me she had gone into labor, and we convinced her to go to the hospital. Since her delivery, I consistently visited her to ensure she took her medication and was eating well. We also supplemented her son’s diet to ensure he grew well.”
John's role in Agnes’ story was beyond that of an act of kindness. “I named my son John because I felt John really fought for my son’s life. He took care of me so much, beyond what I could for myself. I was so blessed to have such people who cared for me. Today my son is a healthy, HIV-negative child because there were people who fought for me.” Agnes said.
Evalyne Santa Karabu • Kilifi
When Evalyne first joined Untold, stigma had convinced her that it was better that her status be kept a secret. Now, disclosure doesn’t hold the mother of two back.
“I did not want anyone other than my husband to know about my status,” she said. I came here with my husband and since then I have found a caring family in my colleagues and the counselors. I did not expect this. The love and care I saw and felt from the counselors will forever be etched in my memory.”
Looking ahead, she has big plans when it comes to influencing her community. Her dream is to further develop her business acumen and support other mothers who feel like their HIV diagnosis is the end of the road for them.
“If you are living with HIV/AIDS, accept your situation so that you can seek the help you need. HIV is like any other sickness. Don’t enslave yourself by hiding due to stigma,” she advises.
Nalubowa Florence • Kampala
Nalubowa closed the chapter of her life as a sex worker to start a new chapter as a follower of Christ. Before Untold, she says closest thing she had to family were the women she worked alongside at a brothel.
“Through the program, I have gained a new family. My colleagues have become my friends,” she shared. She delights in the simplest pleasures of friendship, like greeting each other on the street. “I never thought I would be able to do that!”
Her transition is also benefitting her young daughters. Before, their quality time was limited because she used to sleep all day after working all night. Now, she is intentional about the time they spend together. To further demonstrate her commitment to her children, she plans on opening up a storefront selling soap to solidify her family’s financial stability.
“I am never going back to that life again. I hope one day I can find a husband and we can get married in a church ceremony with my children by my side.”
Pauline • Nairobi West
When it came to relationships, Pauline always had high hopes for love. Yet that hope wasn’t actualized on a romantic level with her partner, who abandoned her without a trace. The disappointment itself was difficult to process, especially when Pauline later found out that she was pregnant and HIV positive at a prenatal visit. “Is this the end of the road for me?” was the burning question Pauline battled with.
After discovering Untold, Pauline no longer has to hope for love - she claims to be restored. Her healing journey was complex, as she fell ill soon after she began the program. With center counselors at her side, she was diagnosed with meningitis, which left her unable to stand or walk.
Through the Medical Empowerment Fund (MEF), Pauline’s extensive medical care was fully covered. That along with her nutritional support packages for both her and her daughter brought Pauline to a place where she could stand on her own two feet, hold her child, and work on her business venture.
Joel 2:25 is what sustains the mother. “I will repay you for the years the locusts have eaten— the great locust and the young locust, the other locusts and the locust swarm — my great army that I sent among you.”
Joan Oduor • Nairobi South
Right after Joan’s son, Nelson, celebrated his first birthday, his health mysteriously took a turn for the worse. After months in the hospital, Joan and her sister could no longer afford the mounting costs of his medical bills. Without a form of payment, Nelson was discharged and sent home.
Soon after, Nelson lost his ability to move on his own. A diagnosis at another hospital led Joan to an answer: her son had cerebral palsy. Determined to take care of her son, Joan would leave the house twice a week, with little money and Nelson on her back, for Nelson’s physiotherapy sessions.
As she continued fighting for her son’s health and development, she discovered her positive HIV status. A Community Health Volunteer (CHV) told her about Untold and instilled a seed of hope in Joan. “What I did not know was this was going to be the beginning of God opening doors for me, after years of suffering alone,” Joan said.
Staff and partners came alongside her to find ways of supporting Nelson. One day, she received a call informing her that Untold staff had helped enroll Nelson in a special needs school near her home. The sponsorship she receives caters to Nelson's school fees, therapy sessions, food, transportation, and house supplies. “The day I stood at the bus stop waving goodbye to my son as he was going to school for the first time in his life. He was being driven in a school van, dressed up in full school uniform; I thought it was a dream. I could not believe that my son, Nelson, would get to this level, let alone prove everyone who had written him off wrong. Truly it was not by my power; it is only God who made all this possible. God took all the mud and filth society had covered me with, and he clothed me in a new garment,” Joan shared.