BREAKING THE SILENCE ON HIV/AIDS

"I’m an old woman, look at me….I want to see my daughters healthy before I pass away. Now, I know, they are healthy," the poignant words of 80-year-old Tadelech Desta, a mother of two, grandmother of several.

It is people like her and thousands of others that have benefited from house-to-house campaigning undertaken by "Mums for Mums", a young dynamic non-governmental organization (NGO) dedicated to the marginalized and forgotten young single mothers in Mekelle in the Tigray region of northern Ethiopia.

Despite its initial goal of addressing the plight of single, young destitute mothers many of whom are school dropouts having had to attend to unwanted pregnancies without the support of family let alone the men who fathered these children, the success of Mums for mUms in creating an awareness of HIV/AIDS is quite simply, resounding.

At a time when HIV/AIDS in Ethiopia is spreading at an alarming rate and is the leading cause of death among young adults, Teberh Weldegebriel, the founder of Mums for Mums, decided to break the silence of her community and engage them in talking about the pandemic.

"House-to-house campaigning has it results, it’s better than a mass meeting or a radio campaign. Our people are secretive and they do not want to express opinions on such matters in front of others," added Teberh who started this campaign last April.

The campaign’s origins started with an intensive training session on HIV/AIDS for young single mothers which was organized on a volunteer basis. They were equipped with knowledge on the disease and its effects on the single mother. They were then deployed on a house-to house mission to work in four kebelles or districts. Today its 35 campaigners have covered 8 kebeles, that’s some 33,100 people living in 8,275 households. People are far more aware of the disease today then ever before but like all projects, its early stages had its fair share of obstacles.

Yirgalem Mulugeta, aged 20 recalled her initial days going around from house to house in the Adi-Haki district. Shortly after introducing the topic of HIV/AIDS, one woman stood up and slapped Yigalem saying "Do you think I’m a prostitute? I’m married, get out of my house." This did not deter Yirgalem who continued with her campaign in other homes in the district. It was later on that the same irate lady came to terms with the reality of HIV/AIDS and today she herself is a campaigner having realized the importance of the issue.

Another volunteer campaigner Almaz Tekeste has her own story. One of her first few encounters was with a prostitute with three children. Starkly destitute and unable to feed her children, testing for HIV/AIDS was the least of her priorities. Almaz persevered and the woman eventually agreed to be tested. Today this lady is aware that she’s HIV- positive, prostitution for her is a thing of the past and with the help of Mums for Mums has received a financial loan to engage in a simple businessa venture..

WOMEN'S GROUP FOUNDER DOING HER SHARE FOR ETHIOPIA

Pleas of "selemariam!…. selemariam!" which translates to "please in the name of Mary give me something" from women in the streets of Mekelle is often shunned by Teberh Weldegebriel, the founder of Mums for Mums. "I just hate to see women beg, they have to work, they are much stronger than men if given the right guidance," she added.

But the reality on the ground is startling - poverty, unemployment, the lack of education and a relentless drought are elements that push some within society to beg. They have mouths to feed, children to clothe and infants tucked tightly on their backs that watch and listen and are all too familiar with the plea "Selemariam".

It is that conviction and her belief in the women of Ethiopia that drove Teberh to establish this local NGO three years ago. Having relocated to the UK for 20 years, this native of the Tigray region always had plans to return home. "I want to do my share for Ethiopia," she emphasized. "Today the silence is broken, children are speaking with their parents and parents are talking about sex with their children. Girls have been the catalyst here," she says recollecting the early days when Mums for Mums undertook the task of broaching the subject of HIV/AIDS to the community in Mekelle. "It was not easy, going from door to door, embarking on an extensive programme when our women are secretive."

The choice for empowering single mothers is glaring. These are women, "rejected by their parents for the betrayal and shame caste upon the families." As a result the young single mother is marginalized which leads her to a precarious lifestyle. She often reverts to begging and is tempted to enter the realm of prostitution.

To date Mums for Mums has embarked on short training sessions for these women which have enabled them to stand on their own feet, provide short-term financial loans in order for them to establish simple forms of trading, counselling services to help them better understand their plight and more importantly empower them to face the challenges ahead of them.

While the project has the support of the government and various well wishers, it is still a long way from achieving its goal.