More Than Luck
Felizarda, 33, couldn’t believe her luck when she discovered that she was pregnant with twins. This is the second set of twins for this mother of seven children in southern Mozambique. In fact, Felizarda’s name does mean “lucky” in Portuguese.
But as a woman living with HIV, Felizarda can tell you that it takes more than luck to give birth to and raise healthy children. In Gaza Province, where Felizarda lives, 17 percent of women of child-bearing age are living with HIV. The Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation (EGPAF) is working with the Mozambique Ministry of Health to make sure that every woman receives individualized antenatal and postnatal care to ensure that mothers and babies are healthy.
“I went to the health facility for antenatal care,” says Felizarda, “and the health workers there put me on a prevention of mother-to-child HIV transmission (PMTCT) drug regimen so that my babies could be born HIV-free.”
The health center also assigned Felizarda a mentor mother, Rosa Mazuy, to help track her health and the health of her children. Mentor mothers are women in the community living with HIV who are trained to provide counseling and other support to HIV-positive women who are pregnant or breastfeeding. On the day that a women enrolls in PMCTC, her mentor mother counsels her about the importance of adhering to medication, sharing her own experience. The mentor mother then accompanies her client home. Thereafter, she conducts regular home visits.
“I am grateful that my mentor mother visits me every month and makes sure that I am taking my medication and that my children are healthy. My seven children are HIV-free thanks to the health services that I receive,” says Felizarda.
“When you hear a first-person experience from a sister who is also living with HIV, it is empowering … because you are together,” says Felizarda. “The best thing about Rosa is that she gives me advice as a woman who knows who I am.
“I felt very good. My children will not be like me, with HIV,” says Felizarda, now holding four-month old Constancia and Francisco. “They will grow and be healthy.”
Created by:
Team EGPAF
Country:
Mozambique
Topics:
Maternal & Child Health; Prevention of Mother-to-Child Transmission
