On the occasion of International Women’s Day, we pay tribute to the women who, despite staggering odds, were able to raise themselves up and become productive members of society. We feature one such amazing woman who was able to take her life back from the scourge of HIV/AIDS given the right incentive and a nudge in the right direction. This is her story:
“I was at the point of wanting to kill myself,” said Blessing (not her real name as she wanted to remain anonymous), as tears gathered at the corner of her weary eyes. “It seemed that the world was against me: I was positive for HIV/AIDS, my husb and had left me, and my community shunned me,” she related as she looked away trying to hide her shame.
Blessing is a mother of two, and among the countless individuals suffering from the scourge of HIV/AIDS in the southern African country of Zambia. She lives with her children at the Martin Luther Camp in Mumbwa District of Central Zambia. And like many others in the community, her family depends on agriculture for food and livelihood. So when her husb and – the breadwinner – left her with no source of income and two mouths to feed while staving off HIV/AIDS, all seemed lost.
And as with most people affected by HIV/AIDS, Blessing was stigmatized and marginalized in her community. “I felt like a leper. Even my neighbors kept their distance while talking behind my back, especially after my husb and left me. It’s like being kicked while already on my h ands and knees,” her eyes now staring at the floor.
That’s when she contemplated suicide. “But I thought if I die, what will happen to my children?” she said with a shudder. “It’s that thought that kept me going,” Blessing recounted while eyeing her two kids, “angels” she called them. “They kept me strong and focused, but somehow it was not enough. I needed something, but I did not know what,” she narrated.
Then a project called MIRACLE came to her community. “At first I was adamant against joining the project. There have been several projects that have come and gone in our community, all with the promise of helping us out of poverty,” she said, “but those promises remained just empty promises.”
MIRACLE is an agriculture-based project aimed at improving the livelihoods, food security, and nutrition of people living with HIV/AIDS in southern Africa. It is implemented by IITA and funded by the Swedish International Development Agency (SIDA).
When most of her community members joined and she heard of the many different things that they have been learning to bring themselves out of their predicament, Blessing decided to join as well. “I told myself that I had nothing to lose, and if this one also fails then I would not be any worse off than I am now.”
As she started to recount how MIRACLE changed her life, her frown transformed into a smile.
“When I first joined MIRACLE more than a year ago, I only had maize planted in my garden which I mainly use for home consumption,” she recalls. “Then the project gave me seeds of soybean and climbing beans to try out along with my maize. They taught me how to plant and manage my crops properly, to get the most out of them. We were also taught how to use legumes, especially soybean, and the health benefits we can get,” she said.
“When I got my first harvest of soybeans and beans, I tried them out as dishes,” she related as she animatedly described how she prepared them. “I and my children liked them, and we have been eating them ever since.”
A sickly, thin, and frail frame when she started with MIRACLE, Blessing has now put on some weight – her neighbors now even describe her as being a bit more “meaty”, a description she happily accepts.
“But more than anything, MIRACLE taught me how to be independent and confident,” Blessing said. “Things started to change for the better when I was chosen to be trained as one of the community volunteer trainers on soybean processing and utilization,” she added excitedly.
“After the training, I and other volunteers started training other people in our community. Soon after, people started coming to me for advice and training especially when they saw how successful I was with my crops and seeing the physical changes with me – it was very empowering. Even my neighbors who used to ignore me now knock on my door almost every day asking me to teach them. I found confidence that I never thought I had,” she recounted.
“If MIRACLE did not find me I would be six feet under the ground by now, and my young children would have been orphans fending for themselves. The project keeps my h ands and my mind busy and I do not have time for self-pity anymore. Life has taken on more meaning for me because of this project.”
“And now, MIRACLE has taught me how to produce soybean flour, which I use to make cakes and other pastries,” she said as she excitedly showed a freshly baked bun. “I love to bake, and my children love to eat them as well. They’re delicious and at the same time healthy to eat.”
“But more than that, I now sell cakes to members of my community as well as the neighboring community, which gives me additional income that I would use to further my children’s education,” she said as her eyes lit up even more.
“Recently, MIRACLE gave me a bicycle for added mobility so that I could do more work and help more of my fellow community members.”
“From the bottom of my heart I thank the implementers of this project, particularly IITA and the extension officers who have tirelessly supported people like me to literally come back from the brink of death. Thank you very much!” she concluded with a jump and a dance.
For information, please contact:
Jeffrey Oliver,
Corporate Communications Manager
O.Jeffrey@cgiar.org
Melba Davis-Mussagy
Agro-enterprise Development Specialist
M.Mussagy@cgiar.org
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