“Having
HIV or AIDS is not the end of life but a new beginning,”
says André Julai, a 42-year-old father-of-four, from
the Catembe district of the Mozambican capital, Maputo.
For the past fours years, Julai has been living with HIV. “I
was living without hope because I was afraid that I would die
soon. But so far I have managed to look after my children and
my wife,” he says.
In 2002, he left his job due to deteriorating health, a major
blow to his family: “By that time, I had lost a lot of
weight and there was no choice but to leave work. That was the
most difficult period in my life as I thought I was going to
die. I was also worried about my children.”
It was indeed a difficult time for his family: apart from having
to helplessly watch their bedridden father, there was no source
of income.
He could no longer afford to pay for his medical bills, yet
his situation required him to visit the doctor regularly. The
family that used to produce enough food now survived on handouts
from neighbours who themselves did not have enough, as the country
was experiencing a severe drought.
Julai thought all hope was lost. But the Mozambique Red Cross
Society had other ideas. In response to the needs of people
like Julai, it introduced a Rapid Results income-generating
and nutritional support project in 2004, and Andre Julai was
one of the first beneficiaries.
Julai was one of 100 clients who received 100 chickens, poultry
feed and had a chicken-run constructed. By then he was able
to get out of bed and do some light duties.
“This was a big boost to my morale because for all these
years, I was wondering how my family was going to survive given
my health situation,” Julai explains.
A few months later, Julai was selling chickens to neighbours.
“The first time I sold the chickens, I got about six million
metical (US$ 270) and life started improving,” he added.
“I am now able to have good diet, pay my medical bills
and there is enough money to continue with my poultry business,”
says Julai, who adds that he is now self-sufficient. He suggests
that this kind of support should be provided to other people
living with HIV and AIDS so that they can support themselves.
Julai is feeling much better now and he remembers very well
the time when his skin was pale, rashes covered his body, and
his lips were cracked and reddish in colour.
Today, despite the stigma associated with his condition, he
resilient enough to always go out in his garden or look after
his poultry project.
“The support I got from the Red Cross has given me more
energy to continue working for my family and my hope has been
renewed,” said Julai.
“When people knew that I had HIV, they thought I was going
to die, but here I am, taking care of my life,” says Julai.
He expresses anger towards those in his community who discriminate
against people living with HIV/AIDS. At the same time, he applauds
the efforts of the local Mozambique Red Cross volunteers who
regularly visit clients in his area.
“Knowing my status has given me strength. I have now learnt
to live with the condition and can talk to other HIV/AIDS-affected
people, encouraging them to follow proper guidelines on how
to live positively,” he says.
The poultry and gardening projects that were introduced by the
local Red Cross have helped many clients to have an improved
diet for their conditions. The gardening project uses simple
technology that does not need too much water for irrigation
but yields good harvest of vegetables all year round.
“The results of the project are positive and the volunteers
have done a lot in teaching our clients how to run these small
projects and they have assisted many families,” said Bernardino
Abel, HIV and AIDS coordinator for the Mozambique Red Cross,
who also thanked the World Bank for funding the project.
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Bedridden
four years ago, André Julai’s life has improved
as a result of the Mozambique Red Cross Rapid Results
programme (p12857)
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André
Julai’s daughter feed some of the chicks that have
transformed the family’s fortunes (p12858)
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