Rarely seen apart, Naalamala and her daughter, Namwata, share
an affection that is hard not to notice.
This loving bond between mother and child stemmed from the mother’s
close monitoring and care of her daughter who was born deaf and HIV-positive. Naalamala
withheld her daughter’s positive status from her until she was old enough to
understand and cope with the information.
Also, Namwata would not be able to marry with her positive status;
therefore, unlike her other two children, her care and well-being would always
remain with her mother.
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| Rarely seen apart, Naalamala and her daughter, Namwata, share an affection that is hard not to notice. |
Naalamala’s husband died due to AIDS. In Maasai community contracting HIV/AIDS and
dying can be related to a‘spiritual backlash’ – like a curse. For example they
might say, “Your husband must’ve done something bad in the community, and like a
tree, the branches are dying.” However,
despite the loss of Naalamala’s husband and the subsequent positive status of both
Naalamala and Namwata, the family remained loving and supportive to them both. Realising this type of change in a community’s
thinking can take time, but through the SM-TZ Community Conversation approach, some
in the Mairowa community have learned to accept that AIDS is a disease that
requires not only medicine but a big dose of compassion.
After the death of her husband, Naalamala’s family returned
to her father’s boma (family homes).
They remained in her father’s boma until her son reached the age when he
was expected in Maasai culture to exercise his manhood with more power and
responsibility. He could not do this living under his grandfather’s
authority. Additionally, Naalamala would
not inherit from her father’s boma, so it seemed like the right time to start
her own. Recently, Naalamala broke away from the security of living with her
father and started life anew in her own boma where her son is the male head.
It is essential for Naalamala and her daughter to have
enough to eat every day as the antiretrovirals prescribed to HIV/AIDS patients
are very strong and must be taken with food.
For this reason, each one in Mairowa who has self-identified as having
HIV/AIDS, like Naalamala and her daughter, have been provided with five goats
to enable start of a herd and with food aid during the recent, severe drought.This
herd will be a sustainable path to food security for the family and will take
less labour as they are weakened by AIDS.
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| Naalamala, unwell, and her daughter - no words, the picture says it all. |
Although Naalamala had moved away from the security of her
father’s boma, her own sister and mother often visit her boma, providing needed
support to a life that is highly laborious.
Additionally, Nasula, a SM-TZ volunteer, visits monthly to check on family
well-being. It was after one such visit
that SM-TZ learned that Naalamala was unwell, so SM-TZ staff arranged for a
medical check-up, which led to an extended hospital stay. Released too early, she returned in January
for further treatment. Throughout her
sickness, her family continued to care for her and Namwata; eventually, their loving
support guided this resilient mother back to health.
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| Naalamala, home and well after a 3 month battle with illness due to HIV/AIDS. |
The sacrifices of women who are mothers, grandmothers, sisters
and daughters contribute to the ongoing health and well-being of those who fall
under their care. They are the loving
and sacrificial life force that inspires, teaches, and heals.
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| Mother and daughter - life is good again. |
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