By Sharon Onyango
From Fear to Celebration: Dienya Mothers Celebrate 50 HEIs Born HIV-Free
When Mercy Achieng was diagnosed with HIV in 2012 while pregnant with her third child, uncertainty and fear threatened to overshadow her hopes for the future. Fourteen years later, her story has become a powerful testament to the life-changing impact of treatment adherence, family resilience and prevention of mother-to-child transmission of HIV.
Today, Achieng is raising three children who are HIV-negative, a milestone she attributes to her commitment to treatment and determination to give her family a better life.
Her journey was among the inspiring stories shared at Dienya Health Facility in West Gem Ward, where families gathered to celebrate 50 children born HIV-free to mothers living with HIV. The event recognized the mothers’ resilience and the progress made in preventing children from acquiring the virus.
For Achieng, the journey began when she visited a health facility for an antenatal care appointment in 2012. She was diagnosed with HIV and immediately started treatment. Health workers encouraged her to bring her husband for testing, and he was found to be HIV-negative.
The couple subsequently faced the challenges of living in a serodiscordant relationship, where one partner is HIV-positive and the other is HIV-negative.
“Disclosure gave me a challenge, ups and downs in marriage since we were a discordant couple,” Achieng recalled, describing the difficulties they experienced as they adjusted to their HIV statuses.
Despite the uncertainty, the couple chose to remain together and work through their challenges.
“We kept pushing. We are still married and staying together, and now I have three negative children while I am on ARVs,” she said.
Her experience highlights how access to treatment, counselling and sustained support can help families navigate the challenges associated with HIV while protecting their children from infection.
Choosing treatment and a better future
Achieng said raising her children and securing a better future for them became her motivation to remain committed to treatment, even when the journey was difficult.
She recalled the determination it took to continue with medication while caring for her family and confronting the fear of stigma.
“I wanted a good life for my children, so I had to push myself,” she said.
Her story underscores the importance of treatment adherence, antenatal care and follow-up services throughout pregnancy and after delivery. When HIV treatment is taken consistently and mothers receive appropriate care, the risk of transmitting HIV to their babies can be greatly reduced.
Achieng’s experience also highlights the importance of supporting couples with different HIV statuses to access counselling, testing, prevention and treatment services without fear of discrimination.
She encouraged other families facing similar circumstances not to give up, noting that HIV should not prevent parents from pursuing their aspirations or raising healthy children.
Celebrating 50 children born HIV-free
Achieng’s story formed part of a wider celebration at Dienya Health Facility, where 50 HEI children born HIV-free in 2yrs process to mothers living with HIV received gifts in recognition of their achievement.
The event was organized through collaboration involving the County Government of Siaya, Mildmay International Kenya, CHS.
It was the third such celebration following similar events in Ndori and Sigomere, where families also celebrated children who had tested negative for HIV.
Beyond the festivities, the gathering provided an opportunity for parents to share their experiences, encourage treatment adherence and challenge the stigma that continues to discourage some people from seeking HIV services especially young mothers.
Parents particularly urged serodiscordant couples to seek care together and avoid allowing stigma, discrimination or fear of victimization to keep them away from treatment and prevention programmes.
Protecting the gains
Speaking during the event, Zilpa Imbuye, the County’s Vertical Transmission Prevention (VTP) Coordinator, reaffirmed her commitment to initiatives aimed at reducing new HIV infections and eliminating mother-to-child transmission.
She noted that Siaya County had previously reduced its mother-to-child transmission rate.
“Siaya is the first county that ever reached the WHO recommendation of below five per cent of elimination of mother-to-child transmission of HIV rate. We were at 4.3 per cent and moved to 6.4 per cent, and currently we are at 6.7 per cent, but we have maintained momentum,” Imbuye said.
She urged residents to embrace available HIV prevention services, including pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP), which can help HIV-negative people reduce their risk of acquiring the virus.
“I will only retire when Siaya eliminates HIV,” she added.
Elizabeth Oluoch, Country Director of Mildmay International Kenya, said the organisation was seeking to expand HIV prevention programmes to mining sites across Siaya County to reach more people with prevention information and services.
The proposed outreach is expected to complement existing efforts to improve access to HIV testing, prevention and treatment, particularly among communities that may face barriers to accessing healthcare.
For Achieng, however, the significance of the day was deeply personal. What began with an HIV diagnosis during pregnancy in 2012 has become a 14-year journey of perseverance, treatment and motherhood.
Her three HIV-negative children represent the future she fought to protect and a reminder to other families that, with appropriate care and consistent treatment, an HIV diagnosis does not have to define the lives of parents or their children.
As Siaya County continues working towards eliminating mother-to-child transmission, Achieng’s story offers a message of hope: with support, commitment and access to quality healthcare, more families can look forward to healthier futures.
