When is a cure not a cure...when it is undetectable!

Stories of Shattered Hope is a sharing and learning booklet SAfAIDS researched and documented this year with the assistance of the local Zimbabwe UNAIDS office.

The booklet shares experiences of eight women from across the north and south of Zimbabwe who are living with HIV and who at some point in their lives have sought faith-healing on their journey to self-acceptance and wellness. Women and girls remain at higher risk of HIV infection, six times more so than boys and men. Together we can keep each other safe, knowledge IS the power to make a difference!

The stories are not hopeless, but hopefull. 

But not everything goes well, and not all advice is good!

Self-stigma prevented Memory seeking the advice she needed from health facilities and instead she turned to prophets who did not understand HIV.

Otilia and her husband really believed that the prophets in her church had the power to cure HIV, they lost a child and another was born HIV positive.

Why a booklet? 

Adherence to ARV treatment is SO important, too important to not talk about the difficult issues. Especially when people tell us they are cured. Are they?

Medicines are God-Given, even if the are man-made, is the message from Rev. Chiponda.

This booklet’s key messages are:

• HIV and AIDS is a health issue (not demonic or a curse) let us ALL attack it from a health perspective.
• We also need to understand healing in the context of cure– there is no cure for HIV now, only God-given ARVs.
• Church leaders must know the facts about HIV to best support their congregations.

Get in touch to know more about this booklet.