Banza Chela, Zambia

My name is Banza Chela and Im from Zambia. In early 2005 my health started deteriorating.
I didnt know anything about HIV and I still to this day have no idea how I contracted the
disease. Feeling chest pains I thought I might have TB but after visiting 3 clinics in Lusaka
none were able to diagnose the problem. I lost confidence in the health centres and gave up,
waiting at home to die. My weight fell from 68kg to 47kg so my wife and children took me to
see my brother who is a doctor in Lubumbashi, DRC. I then weighed less than 40Kg. I lost
my memory and I had no idea where I was. I was half dead. They discovered that I had both
TB and HIV and I was started on medication on the same day for the two diseases. My CD4
count was 37.

My family and friends were so supportive, they just wanted me to live. They would even
sacrifice their meals to help me. They wanted my to have my life back. They put me on ARVs
without me knowing my status for 4 months. I began on Trimune 40mg until I got back to
Zambia 4 months later when they realised I should be on 30mg because of my light weight.
The ARVs were initially the usual 3 HIV drugs in one tablet: Lamivudine, Stavudine,
Nevirapine. But in 2010 I was removed from Trimune 30mg onto a drug which has an
alternative for Stavudine due to a paralysing side-effect I was experiencing. I was also being
treated on 3 TB drugs, separate tablets: Pyrazinamide, Ethambutol, Rifampicin for 8 months.
I am cured of that now thanks for Global Funding but I am very careful with my health.

Because of my low immunity I have to check every 6 months for malaria in my blood. If I test
positive I take a course for Coartem (3 days). I sleep under a mosquito net, I got it from
public health clinics that are supported by Global Funds.

I collect my drugs from Chipata Clinic, Lusaka, under the CIDRZ (Centre for Infectious
Disease Research in Zambia) which is directly funded by the Global Fund. At the beginning I
went in person to buy a medical card scheme for $1 from the clinic. The process starts from
there: to be tested first if you are not already tested. Once you are on medication you have
CD4 counts checked after every 6 months. To get drugs every month I have my card with a
serial number of my permanent file, I show my scheme card, then they pull out my file. My
blood pressure, temperature and weight are recorded and Im referred to see the doctor. He
screens me and makes a report after which he sends me to the adherence room where I get
counselling for 15 minutes. From there I go to pharmacy to collect the drugs. The whole
process takes around 3 hrs. This I do every month to save my life, with the help of the Global
Fund.

My life changed in so many ways not just in terms of positive living but in terms of my
community. Ive joined a support group of people living with HIV called Chibusa which
meaning friend in Bemba, my language. This group happens to be a member of TALC
(Treatment Advocacy and Literacy Campaign) which is a member-based organisation.
Through my support group I learned about advocacy research and treatment literacy during
which I was identified as a potential member and quick learner. The Global Fund then trained
me as a volunteer and a facilitator.

I dont have any paid jobs but I have 3 positions all supported by Global Fund through
Zambia National AIDS Network (ZNAN) which is one of the principal recipients of GF in
Zambia. I use what I gain from the facilitating to help my children go to school and support
my family.

My motivation for joining the Here I Am Campaign is my children, to keep them alive. I treat
Global Fund like my father and my mother, I am participating in this campaign because I
need it for my family, I need it to make sense of my life.

Zambia is 14% HIV positive and out of that only 300,000 people(roughly 20%) have access.
Due to many reasons: They dont accept their status which is linked to the stigma attached to
HIV, they can be in a position to start mediation but the health centre is too far and too
expensive to get there. Also, some people have lost confidence in the health personnel maybe
due to shortages of medications, so they have to opt for other medications (herbal medicine).
There is a severe lack of information and misconceptions about ARVs eg. It is being said that
women who use ARVs arent able to conceive. Also because a lot of people start medication
late and often dont make it theres a misconception that it is the ARVs that cause them to
die. There is also the perceived challenge of having to take medications very day for the rest
of ones life which makes it a hard choice for them to start. Finally but very importantly there
is the issue of nutrition - for some people it is just about managing to get one single meal a
day to get by.

Of the people I know who are HIV only 30% are getting treatment. Some use traditional
medicines but this only keeps them for a while, its not sustainable.

My personal view of the pandemics in Zambia is that there is not enough support in the
country but the little we do get we can improve on when there is funding. Embezzlement of
much of the funding means that of the people that desperately need the funds, few actually
receive their share. We do our best to be `100% responsible and prove that responsibility, we
just hope that donor funding will grant us , the right people, access more easily. We need to
work out how best to benefit from the campaign without embezzlement.

I feel stronger in my lifestyle change, I always think positively. I have to think positively not
only for my life for my community at large and for my children. The Global Fund is a helper to
me that has given me life. Without the Global Fund I would have been dead 5 years ago. If
they stop helping me now I would be left open to optimistic infections and contribute towards
drug resistance. I wouldnt be healthy anymore. I wont be able to support and sustain my
family. Here I Am.
 Contact

International Civil Society Support

Maria Bordallo Gil

mb@icssupport.org Tel +31 612 935 270