Marcela Anyango is a 39 year old widow, an HIV/Aids patient from Kakelo location, and a member of Ogada Women’s Group. She was a second wife and, like the first wife before her, bore her husband 6 children. Both her husband and the other wife have recently died and she now cares for 5 of her own children and 3 others from the co-wife. Four of the original children are now old enough to care for themselves. Marcela was brave and went for an HIV test after counseling sessions by JAM staff. After the test, which proved positive, she had a turning point in her life and decided to live positively.

To begin with, she dropped the Luo tradition of wife inheritance and decided to live without being inherited. With the support of the JAM Home Based Care programme her life gradually started improving and now she has the strength to carry out her economic activities of crop farming and a small business selling grain. With her abilities being appreciated by the group members recently, she was elected to be the chairperson of the Ogada Women’s Group. This is a mark of their respect for her and their belief in her ability to cope with all these challenges.

Marcela’s story has been told within her community and beyond, with many of the widows copying from her life experiences and deciding to live like her.

Her home has also been an attractive place for the visitors who come to hear the success stories. In early May 2006 this year, she was visited by Jim and Edna Leftwich and Gordon Ross from UK. The visitors were impressed by what they saw and heard and in turn donated some money to boost her business.

It is very hard to believe that this story could have occurred just a year ago, but the change in attitudes to being HIV positive is now becoming a challenge to be taken up, rather than laid down to.

To Mama Marcela: "Life must continue regardless of my status."

Elisha Arunga
JAM Field Officer

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