NONHLANHLA Mazaleni from Diepkloof in Soweto says she knew she had to do something to touch the lives of those affected and infected by HIV/Aids when she lost someone close to her some years ago.
She said the loss of her loved one prompted her to establish Tholulwazi Phakathi, an NPO that offers support such as counselling to those infected with the disease.
"The inspiration behind this initiative is a personal one for me. In 2018 when I lost someone close to me due to the disease, it hurt me so hard because I was left with the responsibility of taking care of the child that was left behind."
"The child was born with the disease and needed extra care, and this is when I realised that it was time, I equipped myself with knowledge of how to deal with this and also spread the help to my community," said Nonhlanhla.
She said as time went on, some of her loved ones continued to pass, and the need to educate others grew even more.
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"I then started attending training whereby we were taught how to care for those infected including babies. With the knowledge that I acquired I worked as a research assistant at Perinatal HIV Research Unit."
Nonhlanhla said she is currently working on writing a book about a young woman who celebrates the years of being infected while the country celebrates democracy.
"I've written several books already and I’m using this one during my campaigns promoting healthy living. My books are easy to read, even children from as little as six can adapt easily. Also, I refer to my books when offering counselling sessions, especially to kids because I've realised they understand very quickly when one does something in the form of storytelling," she said.
Asked what World Aids Day means to her and her NPO, Nonhlanhla said she still faces funding challenges.
"What hurts about commemorating this day is that politicians use the day to make false promises and once the day is over, everyone forgets about what they promised. I have heard big political heads promising to adopt some of the children that we support and promising us big accommodation and funding but none of those have happened," Nonhlanhla said.
