‘His silence made me open up’
Dec 06, 2009
What would you do if your husband tested HIV-positive but hides the results from you? And if you accidentally come across the results, would you crucify him for hiding the truth from you or also keep silent?
By Frederick Womakuyu
What would you do if your husband tested HIV-positive but hides the results from you? And if you accidentally come across the results, would you crucify him for hiding the truth from you or also keep silent?
For 34-year-old Christine Atiang, keeping quiet would have been the best option, but it was not wise.
“My husband Herbert Okior was dying because of silence. He could neither access treatment nor interact with the public. He thought they would isolate him after learning about his HIV status,†Atiang says.
That was 2004. Atiang, a midwife also took an HIV test secretly. “When I tested HIV-positive at Kumi Hospital, I hid the results from him,†she explains.
As the family lived in a cloud of lies, Atiang’s husband’s health deteriorated. “He developed epiglottis cancer and when I took him to hospital, health workers examined him and asked if I knew that he had AIDS.
“I said yes and they thought we had shared the information.
“His cancer was in the early stages and they treated him and he recovered. One day, in our bedroom, I jokingly said I was HIV-positive. My husband confessed too. We discussed the issue and agreed to access treatment,†Atiang explains.
But even after his confession, Okiror never wanted the public to know about his status, Atiang says.
“I realised that by keeping silent, we would die of worries.†She decided to go public.
“I started by declaring my status to our neighbours. At first they were shocked but soon became understanding,†she says.
After this success, Atiang made her status known in churches, schools and the entire community. “Some people thought I was deceiving because I looked healthy. I told them not to judge my health by just looking at me,†she says.
When Atiang’s husband saw what his wife was doing, he emulated her. “From that time, we became AIDS activists. We went to churches, schools and community gatherings, sensitising people about the disease.
“We tell married people to be faithful to their partners and the unmarried to have protected sex or abstain. Many youth do not like abstaining. We, therefore, advise them to use a condom,†she says.
Atiang, who works at Serere Health centre IV, also reaches out to her patients.
“As a midwife, I encourage mothers to come for antenatal care with their husbands,†she says.
She says about 10 men accompany their wives to the health centre everyday.
“I first counsel the couple and then urge them to test for HIV. When the results are out, we counsel those who are HIV-positive and also give them treatment. We also advise on good nutrition and seeking treatment,†she says.
Atiang has also helped the youth, widows and orphans in her village to form AIDS awareness groups and also to start income-generating projects.
“Although I have no money to give them to start income-generating activities, I equip them with the knowledge. Many people, especially women, have been able to start small businesses,†she adds.
Helen Atigo, 32, is all praises for Atiang. “She encouraged me to test for HIV. When I tested negative, my life changed. I became more focused,†Atigo says.
Herbert Okiror, 34, believes he is what he is today because of Atiang. Okiror says Atiang equipped him with the knowledge to start and run his business.
“After testing negative at her centre, I reorganised my life. I had some little money and Atiang advised me to take on farming. I cultivated a lot of cassava and this has paid off. I have also become an AIDS crusader,†he says.
Through her campaign, Atiang says over 100,000 people have tested for HIV, while 1,200 have been able to get free treatment from TASO and other AIDS agencies.
Background
Born in Otaaba village in Kumi district, Atiang is the sixth-born in a family of eight. She says she was raised by her mother following her father’s death when she was only one year old.
Atiang attended Kumi Primary School before joining Ngora Secondary for O’level.
“During my Senior Four, I became pregnant. My mother forced me to go to the man’s home until I gave birth. I returned to school after that,†she says.
After O’level, Atiang joined Ngora Fredcare Hospital for a course in nursing and midwifery and on completion, she was posted to Serere Health Centre, which has given her a platform to extend her AIDS awareness activities to her community.
She says she first heard of HIV/AIDS in 1980, when she was in Primary school.
“Many people thought it was witchcraft. Many people died including my elder sister.â€
FACT FILE
Name: Christine Atiang, Position: Midwife at Serere Health Centre IV
Contribution: Helped 100,000 people test for HIV and over 1,200 to access treatment
Contact: +256782606177
What would you do if your husband tested HIV-positive but hides the results from you? And if you accidentally come across the results, would you crucify him for hiding the truth from you or also keep silent?
For 34-year-old Christine Atiang, keeping quiet would have been the best option, but it was not wise.
“My husband Herbert Okior was dying because of silence. He could neither access treatment nor interact with the public. He thought they would isolate him after learning about his HIV status,†Atiang says.
That was 2004. Atiang, a midwife also took an HIV test secretly. “When I tested HIV-positive at Kumi Hospital, I hid the results from him,†she explains.
As the family lived in a cloud of lies, Atiang’s husband’s health deteriorated. “He developed epiglottis cancer and when I took him to hospital, health workers examined him and asked if I knew that he had AIDS.
“I said yes and they thought we had shared the information.
“His cancer was in the early stages and they treated him and he recovered. One day, in our bedroom, I jokingly said I was HIV-positive. My husband confessed too. We discussed the issue and agreed to access treatment,†Atiang explains.
But even after his confession, Okiror never wanted the public to know about his status, Atiang says.
“I realised that by keeping silent, we would die of worries.†She decided to go public.
“I started by declaring my status to our neighbours. At first they were shocked but soon became understanding,†she says.
After this success, Atiang made her status known in churches, schools and the entire community. “Some people thought I was deceiving because I looked healthy. I told them not to judge my health by just looking at me,†she says.
When Atiang’s husband saw what his wife was doing, he emulated her. “From that time, we became AIDS activists. We went to churches, schools and community gatherings, sensitising people about the disease.
“We tell married people to be faithful to their partners and the unmarried to have protected sex or abstain. Many youth do not like abstaining. We, therefore, advise them to use a condom,†she says.
Atiang, who works at Serere Health centre IV, also reaches out to her patients.
“As a midwife, I encourage mothers to come for antenatal care with their husbands,†she says.
She says about 10 men accompany their wives to the health centre everyday.
“I first counsel the couple and then urge them to test for HIV. When the results are out, we counsel those who are HIV-positive and also give them treatment. We also advise on good nutrition and seeking treatment,†she says.
Atiang has also helped the youth, widows and orphans in her village to form AIDS awareness groups and also to start income-generating projects.
“Although I have no money to give them to start income-generating activities, I equip them with the knowledge. Many people, especially women, have been able to start small businesses,†she adds.
Helen Atigo, 32, is all praises for Atiang. “She encouraged me to test for HIV. When I tested negative, my life changed. I became more focused,†Atigo says.
Herbert Okiror, 34, believes he is what he is today because of Atiang. Okiror says Atiang equipped him with the knowledge to start and run his business.
“After testing negative at her centre, I reorganised my life. I had some little money and Atiang advised me to take on farming. I cultivated a lot of cassava and this has paid off. I have also become an AIDS crusader,†he says.
Through her campaign, Atiang says over 100,000 people have tested for HIV, while 1,200 have been able to get free treatment from TASO and other AIDS agencies.
Background
Born in Otaaba village in Kumi district, Atiang is the sixth-born in a family of eight. She says she was raised by her mother following her father’s death when she was only one year old.
Atiang attended Kumi Primary School before joining Ngora Secondary for O’level.
“During my Senior Four, I became pregnant. My mother forced me to go to the man’s home until I gave birth. I returned to school after that,†she says.
After O’level, Atiang joined Ngora Fredcare Hospital for a course in nursing and midwifery and on completion, she was posted to Serere Health Centre, which has given her a platform to extend her AIDS awareness activities to her community.
She says she first heard of HIV/AIDS in 1980, when she was in Primary school.
“Many people thought it was witchcraft. Many people died including my elder sister.â€
FACT FILE
Name: Christine Atiang, Position: Midwife at Serere Health Centre IV
Contribution: Helped 100,000 people test for HIV and over 1,200 to access treatment
Contact: +256782606177