When Charity Wambui considered having a baby in 2011, she was uncertain whether her baby would survive given her HIV positive status.
Charity learnt of her HIV status in January 2008 and was started on medication the same year. However, in 2009 her condition deteriorated and she was admitted to Mukurwe-ini District Hospital, Nyeri County for six months.
Charity received significant support from Vision Garden, a CHS supported Community Based Organisation (CBO) that promotes adherence among people living with HIV, and is now living a healthy life as she devotedly adheres to her medication.
Through her support group and advice from health care workers, Charity learnt that through prevention of mother to child transmission (PMTCT) interventions, she could not only give birth to a HIV negative child, but she could also get to enjoy the most intimate bond between mother and child by breastfeeding without passing the virus to her child.
In December 2011, Charity’s son was born HIV negative at CHS supported Mukurwe-ini District Hospital, in Nyeri County.
Despite her HIV status, Charity exclusively breastfed her son for six months. During this period, she ensured that she adhered to the mother and child antiretroviral therapy interventions recommended at the hospital.
She speaks proudly of her son and acknowledges CHS support that has impacted her life in a significant way, by making information on how to prevent mother to child transmission of HIV available to HIV positive women.
Her son is now a healthy, two and a half year old source of joy!