Anele* was born in February 2022 to Nontobeko*, a Grade 12 learner living with HIV. As a vulnerable adolescent, Nontobeko has very little support in her own young life and struggles to take her life-saving medication consistently. Unknowingly, Nontobeko passed the virus onto her newborn baby – Anele. Two days before Anele was born, Nontobeko’s blood tests revealed a very high viral count, flagging Anele as exposed.
Without proper diagnosis, treatment and care, Anele is at risk of dying.
Anele’s situation was further complicated by several unclear PCR tests and Nontobeko’s shock and disbelief that her baby may be HIV positive.
Finally, in May, three months after precious Anele entered the world, she took her first dose of the medication to save and transform her life. The CHIVA team who initially flagged Nontobeko and Anele as a vulnerable mother and baby pair provided expert support for the healthcare team caring for them.
The journey, however, does not end here. As a teenage mother, Nontobeko will need ongoing psychological, emotional and social support as she comes to terms with her situation.
CHIVA will continue to assist the healthcare workers and their patients as they counsel them around the importance of taking medication and how best to do this, as well as monitoring both mother and baby clinically.
Our donors allow us to transform the lives of vulnerable children, like Anele, exposed to HIV and adolescents, like Nontobeko living with HIV, one mother and baby at a time.
*Names have been changed to protect the identities of mother and child.