TODAY marks World Aids Day and the world is showing solidarity to millions of people living with HIV and raising awareness of the status of the epidemic to promote HIV prevention, treatment and care.
A Soweto resident and founder of a foundation, the Ma--Afrika HIV/Aids & Substance Abuse Foundation, who has been living with HIV for 15 years, remembers her family members who have fallen victim to the virus.
This is a bitter day for Kgomotso Nthuping from Mapetla Soweto, an HIV/Aids activist. She told Daily Sun that she learnt of her status 15 years ago and lost a sister on this day a few years ago.
"I learnt of my status in 2008 after I separated from my husband who was abusing me and bringing girlfriends to my house while I was there. I'm a victim of gender-based violence," she said.
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Kgomotso said it was like a dream when she learnt of her status.
She, however, said she was grateful to God for the gift of life and ARVs because at the time she was diagnosed, people were dying like flies from the virus.
"Through faith and the strength I got from my spiritual mother, I survived. Because there was no one to take care of me, only my spiritual mum, as everyone I knew died from this disease. Only my uncle was left in our family," she said.
She recalled how she silently prayed to God that she would not contract the virus by accident.
"God controls everything, even though I prayed, I still got infected. When I look at the children of my sisters and brothers who are now orphans because of the virus, I think of the children who have no one to take care of them, and that's when I decided to set up the foundation," Kgomotso said.
She told Daily Sun that her passion is for the vulnerable and disadvantaged children.
“Today, I am at U=U and it is only by God's grace that this cannot be seen,” she added.
The foundation is based in Mapetla, Soweto
