Florence Ngobeni
South Africa
Through her work as an HIV educator, spokesperson, and programs consultant, Florence Ngobeni has come face-to-face with world leaders to advocate for AIDS relief. She considers it her life’s work to give voice to the hundreds of thousands of people who, like her, are living with HIV.
In September 1996, Florence gave birth to a daughter named Nomthunzi. Three months later, Florence’s husband died, and Nomthunzi had become ill. Fearing the worst, Florence took Nomthunzi to a local hospital. Both she and Florence tested positive for HIV. Nomthunzi fought the disease for several more weeks, but because antiretroviral treatment was not yet available for children in
South Africa, she passed away in February 1997.
“When I lost Nomthunzi, I cried for a long time,” Florence says. “Then I decided to stand up and try to make a difference."
Florence with her son, Alex. |
Florence began working as an AIDS counselor to pregnant women in the same hospital where she received her diagnosis, which gave her vital access to the antiretroviral medication she needed to survive. She bravely took her experience into the surrounding villages, teaching her neighbors about HIV and AIDS, raising money, and creating a support and advocacy network for those around her living with the disease.
It was a perfect match when, a few years later, Florence was introduced to the lifesaving treatments and services being offered by clinics supported by the Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation. Finding “the Foundation, for me, was a highlight of my life,” she says. “I knew that for the first time, even though our government was not giving access to treatment for preventing mother-to-child transmission, there was someone who cared.”
Florence, 36, is now happily married and lives in Johannesburg, South Africa. Through Foundation-supported prevention of mother-to-child transmission treatments, Florence was able to give birth to an HIV-negative baby. Today, three-year-old Alex remains HIV-free and continues to thrive.
Florence is healthy as well, pursuing her B.A. at the University of Witwatersrand and speaking out on behalf of women and children with AIDS as a Foundation Ambassador. “I’ve been here for 12 years, and I will still have a chance to live longer, and to make a difference in other people’s lives,” she says. “It couldn’t have been possible without the work the Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation has done. Thank you, thank you, thank you so much.”