A Reason to Dance

Even a couple of years ago it would have been virtually impossible to find a group of HIV-positive women gather together singing and dancing. Today I witnessed how things really can change for an individual, a family, and an entire community.

I went with some of my Kenya- and New York-based colleagues to be a part of a graduation ceremony for a powerful CMMB program called mothers2mothers-kenya. It was about an hour and a half outside Nairobi. When we arrived and walked into the room, 23 women stood up from their seats and began clapping and singing a song. I don't remember all of the words, but the refrain of the song was, "Thank you, CMMB."

As the morning progressed, I would learn what the women had learned over the past three weeks. And, from some of them, what they've endured over the past few years.

mothers2mothers-kenya is a CMMB program that educates HIV-positive women about every aspect of the disease. They learn what it is, what it can do, how to prevent transmission from one person to another, and from mother to baby. They learned about medications and how to live a normal, productive, active, and healthy life. They learned about balancing the responsibilities of their families and taking care of themselves. They also identified positive and negative things in life, and how to focus on the positive side of the equation.

Through this educational process, the women learn not only about HIV and AIDS, but about themselves. As a result of the multi-faceted education, these powerful women also become empowered. And as empowered women, they stand ready to mentor other HIV positive mothers and mothers-to-be.

But this is more than just community work. It is life changing, lifesaving work that these amazing women will carry back to their homes. They will counsel women and their spouses to explain that AIDS is no longer a death sentence, provided treatment is maintained by the women they are counseling. They will show--by personal example--that women can be HIV-positive and live very positive lives.

They have their newly acquired knowledge, of course, but they also have their own experiences to share. A part of the program encourages the women to be bold, proclaim their HIV status, and lead by example so that others might live.

Can you imagine a group of women who are prepared to battle the stigma associated with HIV in this country standing up and saying, "Look at me!"? They actually did more than that. They didn't shy away from the camera and, in fact, many wanted to tell their stories on camera. The more people who know the facts, they believe, the more families that will stay together.

These newly-minted mentor mothers will become invaluable in the fight against HIV and AIDS in Kenya. The fact is, the true extent of their work will not be known for years. In fact, their positive influence will be so strong that future generations of Kenyans will grow up in a community where HIV is no longer an issue.

Do these women have reason to sing and dance? You bet they do. And the rest of us have reason to rejoice with them. I tried to uploac a video in this post, but had no luck. You would have seen not only the new mentor mothers, but also a Mexican and several white Americans. We are all singing and dancing together because we recognize the commitment that these women have made and the impact that they will have. We also recognize that it takes all of us to make a real difference in preventing, treating, and eliminating HIV and AIDS.