The Suffering of Women
By Cibele Maquile
Gaza Province, Mozambique
May 23, 2008

Every day we come face to face with the suffering of women. In the areas where I work in Mozambique, many HIV-positive women hide the fact that they are receiving treatment for their illness because their husbands refuse to get tested or use condoms, much less accept that their wife is on treatment. Other men do not want to show their faces in the hospital and admit they themselves have HIV, but when their wives or partners aren’t looking, they take the pills that the women received to treat their own HIV.

This happened to Esperança, a woman living with HIV who always returned to the hospital before her scheduled consultation because she had run out of medicine. Ironically, she knew the exact dosage and time she had to take her pills. We talked to her at length about the situation, but she said could not explain the missing pills.

One day, Esperança came to the health center with the same problem. We strongly, but kindly, encouraged her to tell us what was happening, otherwise we would not be able to refill her prescription. She was concerned about having to leave without her medicine, and in tears she admitted that she saw her husband taking her pills in secret. We probed further to understand her situation. She confirmed that her husband knew she was HIV-positive and that she was taking medicine to treat it. “But he does not want to go to the hospital, alleging that he is not sick,” Esperança said.

We counseled Esperança, suggesting that her husband accompany her on her next visit to the hospital. We also offered to visit her house to encourage him to get tested. Esperança decided she would first talk directly with her husband about getting tested and then notify us of the outcome so we could provide extra support, if needed. We can only hope that Esperança’s husband finally finds the courage to be tested.

This is not an easy problem to resolve because it touches on traditional norms and practices. Fortunately, some families understand the importance of changing or breaking from cultural norms for the benefit of their health. Having a deeper understanding of cultural context and family relations helps me and my fellow health workers to better respond to these complex issues.

Little by little, I believe we can help to ensure that a woman’s voice is heard and understood within her family, and empower women to make the best decisions for themselves and their families.

My name is Cibele Maquile and I joined the Foundation in 2007 as a care and treatment officer. I am trained as a tecnica de medicina and I have worked for Nampula Central Hospital, Save the Children, and CARE International. Professionally, I am very satisfied at the Foundation because I get the opportunity to support health staff and work directly with patients. I feel that it is my calling to support those who are most in need of help.