Maxwell Kapachawo is a pastor diagnosed HIV-positive in 2004. He gives a very personal perspective on living with the stigma of HIV in Zimbabwe.
I am a pastor of Christ Grace Ministries Church, and I have been living openly with HIV for more than three years. I was diagnosed HIV-positive after suffering from incessant infections.
At one stage I was so sick that when my brother died, family members came to the funeral thinking that were coming to bury me. From my sick bed, I could hear them wailing my name as they arrived for the funeral. It was an experience I will never forget.
Fighting stigma
I believe the church in Zimbabwe has generally responded negatively to HIV.
When I became seriously ill, my bishop disowned me. He never visited me as according to him I was now an embarrassment to the church - ‘how could a pastor, a man of God be infected with HIV? How did I get it?’ I must have sinned somehow, was his reaction.
I am the only pastor to have gone public in Zimbabwe
This was a shattering experience for me. I always regarded the church as a sanctuary.
But not all is doom and gloom. Being a member of Anerela+ (the African Network of Religious Leaders Living with or Personally Affected by HIV & AIDS) and coordinator of Zinerela (Zimbabwe Network of Religious Leaders Living with or Affected by AIDS) has helped me and others.
Through the network we have been trained on positive living, how to deliver HIV-sensitive sermons, and to ensure the church is a sanctuary for the sick and a place of hope for the hopeless.
The network also acts as a support group for sharing and strengthening each other. A media campaign has been launched where I feature, openly disclosing that I am a pastor and I am HIV-positive.
Speaking out
I am the only pastor to have gone public in Zimbabwe, together with my wife. This has contributed to more openness and consequently a reduction of stigma and discrimination in many churches.
When the media campaign started, my family, especially my young children were subjected to negative attention at school, but we had prepared them well to handle the situation and they managed to stand against the stigma.
Today they provide advice to their peers. This has marked the end of negative comments at school.
Food shortages
Generally, living with HIV in Zimbabwe has become increasingly hard now for different, economic reasons. The current food shortages have resulted in low nutrition, which makes the infected more vulnerable to infections.
When the food is delivered in the shops, the queues are too long and too physical such that sick people can not take part. The hospitals have run out of drugs, even those who were on ARVs (antiretroviral drugs) are now failing to access them, resulting in developing resistance to the drugs.
Currently, I am on ARVs, provided by a donor clinic that works in partnership with Zinerela. The other members of the network who are not fully employed are assisted with a basic food pack, which in Zimbabwe is becoming illusive even for those employed.
Christian Aid supported Zinerela with £20,000 in the financial year 20006/07.