Erastus Mbigo
“I would tell those who are HIV positive that there is hope. Do not lose hope. I lost everything, but today, I have joy and peace.”
Loneliness once was the pillar that Erastus’ life was built around. After his first wife passed away from HIV, his family stigmatized him, assuming that he was HIV positive too.
To heal and move forward with life, Erastus moved home. However, his family met him with resistance. “My family would often mock me that I was about to follow my wife to the grave,” he said. Erastus recalls that they’d go so far as to not eat with him and refuse to use his utensils. The torment caused him to run away from home.
When it came to his father dividing property among his children, he initially didn’t give Erastus any land because of his HIV status. “This broke me so much, I felt like I was not human or worthy of my inheritance,” he shared. After some convincing, Erastus was finally gifted an acre of land, but not before Erastus’ father disclosed his status to his new neighbors.
“The neighbors would never step foot near my land,” he explained. “They would laugh at me because the land was empty and they expected that I would never progress in life.”
Life has changed drastically for the 36-year-old who is now surrounded by a loyal community. He met his now-wife through fellow clients in the Untold program. Together they live on his property, along with her child whom he openly welcomed.
“When I met the Untold staff, I found a friend, confidant, and someone to help me let go of all the negative things I carried to give room for my mind to dream,” he said.
Untold’s empowerment track ignited a passion within him beyond the truck driving job he held. “I began farming chilies, greens, bananas, sweet potatoes, and more,” he said. “After a while, I started pig and rabbit farming. It is amazing what can happen when someone helps you unveil your potential.”
He’s taken advantage of the savings group ministry, where he has access to capital to achieve his farming goals. “Today, I can never sleep hungry, my farm produces enough for all my family’s needs and more to earn a profit.” More than just skill building, Erastus hosts the savings group meetings on his farm. “In fact, when [fellow clients] come, I provide for their meals and people stay here all day and never want to leave,” he added.
Erastus has even bigger dreams to meet, including diversifying his farming produce, building a small fish pond, and selling produce to other markets outside of Kilifi. “I would tell those who are HIV positive that there is hope. Do not lose hope. I lost everything, but today, I have joy and peace,” he said.