The missing dimension in HIV/AIDS Programming -LOVE

Everyone pushed me to and fro. I had to make sure I looked perfect and was made to summarise project documents, expectations and strengths of the whole programme. I was not expected to fail. No, failure was not an option, because i was the chosen one!

Why? You ask. For the greatest reason that I had been chosen to represent my organisation as the World Food Programme Executive Director was visiting Zimbabwe for the first time. Out of more than 50 Partners the donor had chosen my organisation for the visit. My organisation had thereby chosen me to represent the organisation .It was an honour which to me was a rare opportunity.

This explains the furore around my image and the coaching of how to think and act during the visit.

Please note, I am a poet who writes her own poetry for performances, I have never been able to recite what other people write for me. If someone gives me a speech, I decapitate it till it is a striking resemblance of my own beat. Therefore being told what to say was hustle enough for me.

The day for the visit came and against my nature I was really early. Our funding depended on how I presented myself. Before I said goodbye to my parents I checked the 6am news bulletin and saw how much noise was surrounding this woman's visit to our country. My stomach churned as I saw her visiting the then Vice President of the country and also talking about the visits she was going to do in the country. Right then, I started shivering and told my family that if I fail to present myselfthat day, I would have to kiss my career good bye.

Well, it had to be done and when all stakeholders from big ministries within and out of the country had created a horse shoe around my desk, I realized that there was no going back .It was time to show that I had memorized the project tenets to the Executive Director of one of the United Nations bodies as well as other people interested in the project.

“The difference between our project and many other HIV projects is the love we shower our clients. We give them ample time to pour their hearts out, tell us their fears as well as just telling them they are special. This recipe has really assisted in the improvement of nutritional status as well as adherence to drugs. Many of my clients concur that they always look forward to their hospital visits because of the mutual respect we share,” this was my speech.

Mind you this was completely different from what I had spent the past month reciting in the face of the donor officers. Well wasn’t I afraid?

Yes I was, in fact I was terrified after my speech, all eyes were on me, the cameras kept flashing and all I could think of was how I had said this speech from my heart and how this impulsive behavior would send me packing without gratuity.

Before I could pinch myself for being this crazy, Ertharin Cousin, the UNWFP Executive Director hugged me tightly and said,

“Please continue giving all these people love, I will see to it that you keep doing so” She smiled as everyone else clapped, and mind you the cameras kept flashing.

I was a star!

Imagine how different HIV programming would be in African countries if we could add the missing link called love. Stigma and segregation have hindered the progress of finding solutions to stopping new infections and new HIV related deaths.

Hospital personnel are way too busy to spend time on one patient and observe and hear the social challenges they may be facing, which directly affect ARV (anti-retroviral drugs) uptake.

The economy continues to spiral down as many people continue to need the love as well as the anti-retro viral treatment.

I am no longer working under the nutritional assistance programme for people on ART, but all I remember is that I achieved my goal of having more than 75% nutritional status improvement as well as more than 85% ART adherence rate.

Love remains the greatest gist we can give freely.

Please note: This is not a research paper, it’s my opinion from observation and experience!

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