|
A lone voice speaks out against stigma
| Fatimata Mohamédou Ball describes the challenges of creating HIV awareness in a country where only two people speak openly about living with HIV. |
|
Fatimata Mohamédou Ball, head of projects for People Living with HIV and AIDS at the National Executive Committee in the Fight Against HIV and AIDS.
|
Discussing sexuality is challenging in the Islamic Republic of Mauritania, but one woman has made it her mission to help young men and women overcome their ignorance about how HIV is contracted. Mauritania has a low HIV prevalence rate, but that is no reason for its people to feel a false sense of security. When Fatimata Ball learned that she was HIV positive, she says she wanted to hide. Now she takes every opportunity to share her experience to combat stigma.
“Muslims don’t have the right to discriminate; it’s against the principle of Islam. People cry when we describe the lives of individuals who have been discriminated against and left to die because they’ve been thrown out by their families.”
Through the association for people living with HIV and AIDS, Espoir et Vie (Hope and Life), run in part with Global Fund support, Fatima leads discussion groups and makes home visits. She tells people they have a role to play in society and must assume responsibility by getting tested for HIV, confiding in those around them and refusing to ostracize those who are HIV-positive.
“HIV is seen as a synonym of imminent death and a person living with HIV is seen as someone worthless”
Fatimata needed several years to come to terms with being HIV-positive and although she initially recovered her confidence enough to go and work in the national AIDS program office, she remained discrete about her status. Her son encouraged her to be completely open, saying; “it’s just a disease like any other. You can help save lives and anyone who fails to understand that is not worth worrying about.” From that day on, she vocal in helping people with HIV overcome their fears of living with the disease.
| Hear Fatimata’s story, in French, about coming to terms with being HIV positive |
From the program “Reines d’Afrique” on RFI. Fatimata Ball was interviewed by RFI’s correspondent in Nouakchott, Manon Rivière in August 2007. |
|
