“Treatment Is the Solution to Cure TB”

Still recovering from tuberculosis (TB)—and despite the prevention mask on his face—it was possible to see satisfaction on the face of Agostinho Nhabanga when he received us at his home.

Nhabanga is a 57-year-old pastor of the Zione Church and father of five children, who lives with his two wives in Macia, a village in Gaza Province in southern Mozambique. Nhabanga was recently diagnosed with TB and HIV co-infection but says that he feels better now that he is on treatment.

“I started to feel bad at the end of last year. I had strong coughs and a lack of appetite. Then I couldn’t walk anymore; I was bedridden,” says Nhabanga. “A few days later, I talked about my illness with a fellow pastor and he said that we had no other option than to go to the hospital. So I did it, and today I am doing very well.”

After receiving the diagnosis and starting treatment, he invited his family to do the same. His wives and his 15-year-old son tested positive for HIV. “Despite this, we are all healthy now because we followed the treatment,” he says, smiling.

In addition to taking care of the household, Nhabanga uses his experience to raise awareness among people in the community—as well as the approximately 80 believers who attend his church.

“Using my testimony, I tell my brothers and sisters that the only place where we can recover our health is in the health facility,” says Nhabanga. “A person can pray, but if one does not go there where there are doctors to get the diagnosis and help needed, one will not be healthy. Treatment is the solution to cure TB.”

Nhabanga had access to health services through the support of the Mentor Men group in his community, who also work at the Macia health center. The group is part of one of the Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation (EGPAF) community approaches through the ESCALA project funded by the U.S President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) through the U.S Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

To ensure access to care and retention of patients, 14 volunteers from the Mentor Men in Macia raise awareness and go into communities in search of missing patients to return to treatment. The volunteers have been crucial in preventing infection, fighting stigma, and facilitating psychosocial support networks for people living with TB and/or HIV. They share their life experiences and support each other to overcome the challenges that the disease imposes.

Mozambique has been part of the group of 22 countries with the highest burden of TB for many years, ranking third and sixth in terms of incidence and mortality, respectively. According to the 2020 Global TB Report, 58% of reported cases of TB comprise people living with HIV.

EGPAF’s work in Mozambique has helped to bring back the hope and the will to live for thousands of patients in Gaza and Inhambane provinces, where it implements activities.

“Thanks to your support, today I feel healthy and I can plow and produce in my fields, despite the drought that is plaguing our region,” says Nhabanga as we get up to leave. “Thank you for making it to my house. I have enjoyed receiving your visit.”