Fabrizia’s Story
Fabrizia Owiti is a single mother of three and a 2020 Untold graduate.
You may recognize her from her powerful testimony of the reclamation of her life from AIDS for our AIDS SAID campaign that launched in 2022. In honor of the last year of our campaign, we caught back up with Fabrizia to hear more specifically about the impact her time in the program had on her as a mother.
Fabrizia was 17 when she fell in love with a young man in Nairobi. Not too long after they met, she became pregnant with their first child, her son Mark. Before the baby was born, her husband died suddenly, leaving Fabrizia a young single mother.
Thanks to support from her family, she was able to attend college, where she met her second husband. She was drawn to his eloquence and the way he accepted her young child as his own. Two years after the loss of her first husband, Fabrizia remarried and began to build her life with her second husband.
In 2019, Fabrizia became pregnant with her third child, Malachi. During her routine prenatal testing and care, she was shocked to test positive for HIV. Her husband was asked to come into the hospital to test as well, and his results came back negative. The assumption that Fabrizia had brought HIV into the family caused a riff in their marriage, and he left the family with no word, leaving behind three children and all of his belongings.
Fabrizia pictured in her home.
Fabrizia was devastated, and the stigma of being left by her husband to be a single mother weighed heavily on her heart.
“I worked various odd jobs to make ends meet, and my mother occasionally stepped in to help me raise my children. However, she was very angry when she found out about my status. During this period, she often said things that cut deep into my soul and broke my spirit. She would call me “stupid,” and those words would send me into a spiral of rejection and self-doubt.”
Although her mother was around to help with the children, Fabrizia felt isolated by her words. Rather than feeling cared for, she felt like a burden, with the support only coming out of obligation. She began to drown in the stigma, leading her to a dark season of her life mentally.
Fabrizia knew she needed help. She could no longer handle the depression and suicidal ideation she was experiencing, and she reached out to her local hospital for counseling and support. There, she was introduced to Untold. In 2020, Fabrizia joined the Untold program and started to find joy again.
“I was overwhelmed with hope when the counselors reminded me that I am loved. They shared advice and backed it up with scripture, making us feel lighter and more hopeful. I remember when I first joined the program, I always walked with my head down. Thanks to their encouragement and support, I now walk with courage, my head held high.”
Fabrizia’s time at Untold equipped her with skills for every aspect of her life. She found a community who embraced her and loved her, lifting her up. Her Christian faith was emboldened by the faith-based curriculum they went through. She learned how to make petroleum jelly and soap in the economic empowerment program and has now taught her extended family to make it as well, creating financial stability for her family. She learned the importance of speaking life into her children, and vowed to create a loving home for each of them.
Fabrizia and her youngest son, Malachi (5), in July 2024.
“I thank God I did not take my life and leave my children orphaned. Staying alive to watch them prosper is the best way I have flourished. When we met three years ago, I was worried about how my children would study. Today, I start counting my blessings. My youngest son is now in kindergarten, my oldest has passed his high school education, and he has received government sponsorship to study law at Nairobi University. Never in my wildest dreams did I imagine I would be the mother of a lawyer. My middle child is now in high school. All this is happening because I chose to live and commit to raising my children despite the challenges I faced.”
Fabrizia is among thousands of parents who have been encouraged by the Untold program. Our over 45,000 graduates represents 130,000+ dependent children who will grow up with one or both parents healthy and involved.
When AIDS SAID Fabrizia wouldn’t live to see her children grow up, Fabrizia chose differently. Fabrizia said she would live to see her children raise their own children. Now, Fabrizia’s children get to grow up watching their mother flourish and rejoice in raising them.