A Zambian citizen suffering from HIV/Aids told a conference in Dublin yesterday: "I owe my existence to Concern Worldwide."
Pointing out that "Zambia is one of the poorest nations in the world", Francis Kufekisa Mwangala (58) told a Concern conference on hunger in southern Africa about his experience of living with "the epidemic that you fear so much".
"I was married to a beautiful lady," he said. He looked after his sick wife for almost a year before she died of the disease. He sold all his property to raise money for her medical care - but all in vain.
As soon as he was diagnosed as having HIV/Aids, everyone around him "scattered" and he was left abandoned. He was heading from health to death at the time but Concern Worldwide turned this around and he was now going from death to health. "You have to believe it because you are seeing me. I was bedridden, almost going to the coffin, but now I am standing before you."
Stressing the necessity for a positive attitude, he said: "What is important is to live positively with HIV/Aids in your body. I call him 'my personal friend', we move together. I cannot eliminate HIV/Aids, neither can he eliminate me. We are two giants, standing side-by-side."
Initially his weight had fallen to 50kg but now he was up to 75kg. "I was given psycho-social support to tell me that I was going to live again, start working again, become useful again. I learnt positive living, despite having a virus. Because of that I am now back to the community and I am very useful in the community."
He currently works on a community radio station in Zambia, campaigning to prevent the spread of HIV/Aids. "I am a powerful messenger for God in the region." He is also chairman of the Network of Zambian People Living with HIV/Aids.
Unfortunately many people are too poor to afford batteries for their radio sets and there are many other problems such as poverty, drug abuse, etc.
Calling for action to remedy these problems, Mr Mwangala said: "They should not fear the disease but know that the disease is being taken care of by the international world."