Firdaws Mmbarack, born in 1991 in Nairobi into a family of six children, is a mentor mother at Yala sub-county hospital. Yala is among the 81 facilities supported by the Centre for Health Solutions Kenya (CHS) under the Shinda Tena project, with funding from PEPFAR through the CDC. Firdaws had a fair childhood growing up in the city under the sun, Nairobi, and since her father travelled a lot for work, they relocated with her mother to Uganda and later settled at their family home in Mbale.
Upon completing high school, she could not continue with her education due to a lack of finances. Her age gap and that of her siblings were rather close, and the little resources tended to them. She had to look for work to sustain herself, and in the process, she started a chips business, which didn’t do so well.
She would later meet a man that she thought would be a perfect fit, and they got married. “After a while, I discovered I was pregnant with my second child, and I immediately went for the first ANC visit,” says Firdaws.
At the first ANC visit, checking her HIV status was mandatory, and that is when she found out she was HIV positive. She was in disbelief. Fiardwas cried and knew that her world had fallen apart.
She continued with her ANC visits at Yala Sub County Hospital. In the process, she needed a job to keep herself busy. She asked the nurses about any opportunities to help at the hospital. By good luck, a training for mentor mothers was scheduled, and she got in.
Marriage became harder for Firdaws, and in 2021, they had to separate. “I focused on my job, and my child became my motivation to keep taking my medication to keep him safe. I did not disclose my status because of stigma and fear at home.”
Firdaws says, “Through the trainings, I came across HIV-positive people and realised that I could continue with my life, have dreams and ambitions, and give my children a better life.”
Firadws further adds, “From the training and my own experience, I learned to support HIV-positive mothers, walk with them through their emotions, and most importantly, ensure they stick to their medication and do not allow their children to turn HIV-positive.”
As a mentor mother, she currently has 136 mothers under her wings of age between 18 and 47 years. She is proud that none of her clients have recorded a positive child so far.
She says that her biggest joy is when mothers are suppressed and deliver HIV-free babies. “It is not an easy feat, especially giving children medicine, but we do what we have to do to protect them and contribute to an HIV-free generation.”
Her advice to mothers is, “Know your status, and if you are at high risk, take the necessary precautions.”
To ensure mothers remain on track, she conducts health talks and follows up on them to ensure they take their medicines and give their children as required.
She painfully ends our interview, saying, “It is painful seeing a child turn positive; it is our duty to ensure they don’t.”
Over the years, Center for Health Solutions – Kenya (CHS), through the Shinda Tena project and with funding from the US President’s Emergency Fund for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) through the U.S. Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), has been implementing and expanding HIV prevention, care, and treatment services in Siaya County.
