Masha’s Story: Our 50,000th Graduate

When Untold, CARE for AIDS at the time, first began our ministry in 2007, we never could have we would be operating in four countries across Africa and celebrating our 50,000th program graduate after 17 years of faithful obedience to God’s calling. We are humbled and grateful to get to share the story of Masha, our 50,000th Untold graduate. His story and this milestone represents the 50,000 individuals we have gotten to walk alongside, and we can’t wait to continue to serve another 50,000 and more.

Masha, on the right, pictured with Cornel, Untold CEO (Africa) and Co-Founder, at graduation in the Kongowea center in Mombasa, Kenya.

When Masha’s girlfriend of three years first told him she had been born with HIV, he wasn’t quite sure how to handle the news. He sat with it for a while, scared of what this could mean for his life. After wrestling with his fear, he confronted it head on, seeking a test at his local hospital. When the results came back positive, Masha did not feel any animosity towards his partner. Instead, his heart was softened towards her because his pride that she felt comfortable opening up to him about her status. A few years later, they were married.

Masha was given the tools he needed to take his diagnosis in stride. He was fortunate to have support from his family in his diagnosis, and was eager to live beyond the stigma of HIV. When he and his wife heard about the Untold program in 2024, Masha was drawn to the potential it held for him. “I mainly joined the program because they promised to teach,” he recalls. Masha came into the program eager to learn. With his career already being in clothing sales, he was thrilled to learn that t-shirt screen printing was available as an economic empowerment track in his center. He was given the support he needed to navigate starting a new business, and was able to join a savings group with his fellow clients to fund his endeavors.

While Masha came in to the program feeling confident and free of stigma, he found himself having a hard time opening up in group therapy. As he observed other clients opening up to each other and offering advice to one another, Masha let his guard down and found himself feeling comfortable to be vulnerable with others.

With his new openness to the world, Masha found himself being drawn to the appeal of a life walking with Jesus. Having been born into a large Muslim family, he had never understood why his heart felt like it was left yearning for something more in his life. Though he had technically converted to Christianity before Untold, Masha was excited to share that something new finally clicked for him in his time in the program.

“The first day we Untold for our first session, the staff began by praying and closed the day with a prayer. This sparked something in my heart, making me believe that, no matter how capable we are as humans, we need God in everything. Although I got saved a while back, Untold guided me into what Christianity really is and helped me connect more with God.”

As Masha prepared to graduate from the program, his excitement for the future was evident, and it flowed out of his cup into the clients and staff around him. He had expressed his intentions to start his own t-shirt printing business, and was planning on investing his hard earned money into the business that would be able to provide for his wife and three kids.

At graduation on March 28, our staff were excited to surprise Masha with a printing screen as a graduation gift. One step closer to opening his business, his joy was palpable.

“I am grateful that [Untold] has loved us and shown us how to live our lives to the fullest potential.”

Masha pictured holding his new printing screen at graduation.