BACK in 2001, when HIV was still discussed in hushed tones and stigma was high, a positive diagnosis was often the worst nightmare. It was usually met with denial, self-pity, and anger — especially toward partners accused of bringing the virus home.
As a result, cases of domestic violence increased.
But for Gogo Chido Samanga (62) of Hauna Phase 1 in Manicaland province, the news did not break her spirit.
A natural fighter with a strong-willed character, she accepted her fate and did not confront her husband over the diagnosis.
“I was diagnosed with HIV in 2001, when the situation was tense and accepting the news was bound to be very painful,” Samanga recalled.
“Upon notifying me of my status, the counsellor asked if I was going to fight my husband, or maybe kill him, as I was so sure he had brought the virus home.”
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Her late husband was a soldier who travelled to various countries, including the Democratic Republic of Congo, on duty, making it difficult for them to spend much time together.
She patiently waited for access to Anti-Retroviral Treatment (ART). This resulted in five years of waiting before she finally accessed life-saving treatment in 2006.
“From the time I started treatment, I have never stopped. It is my lifeline, and I would never trade it for anything,” she said.
However, she lives with regret over her husband’s refusal to start ART and laments that he missed the opportunity to prolong his life.
“I always think of what would have happened had he agreed to go on treatment,” Samanga recalled.
“He died a year after I started my regimen, and I always wish he were still here to see our grandchildren,” she said.
The couple had six children and now have 15 grandchildren.
A study on HIV acceptance and disclosure through integrated community care in South Africa notes that one of the major challenges in HIV/Aids care in developing countries is the acceptance and disclosure of a positive HIV status among people living with HIV.
“Denial and non-disclosure of HIV status hinders prevention efforts as well as access to treatment, care, and support for PLWHIV,” the study said
Samanga is also living with multiple chronic conditions — diabetes, hypertension, asthma, and HIV.
Despite this, she has maintained a healthy lifestyle while managing different treatment regimens.
What sets her apart from many who tested positive during the same period is her strict adherence to treatment.
“If there is one thing I have religiously done, it is taking my ART timely and daily. If I fail to do that, I fear that my days will be cut short. That has been the secret to my two-decade survival with the disease,” she said.
Treatment adherence includes starting HIV medication, keeping medical appointments, and taking medicines exactly as prescribed. For people living with HIV, it is essential for long-term health.
For Samanga, adherence — combined with timely check-ups and regular hospital visits — has been lifesaving.
She rarely appears unwell.
As such, she is a beneficiary of the Solar for Health programme, where solar systems funded by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) support cold chain systems and laboratory services at hospitals.
UNDP project engineer Kelvin Moyana said the solar-powered systems help ensure the integrity of blood samples used for HIV testing and monitoring CD4 counts.
“Through the solar system installed by the partnership between UNDP, Global Fund and the Government of Zimbabwe, health facilities have an uninterrupted power supply. This ensures the integrity of blood samples for HIV testing, regular testing and monitoring of the viral load,” he said.
Moyona added that new digital X-ray machines, procured by the Health ministry and the Global Fund and installed with UNDP support, help diagnose and monitor tuberculosis, which is more common among people living with HIV.
These interventions are being implemented under the Global Fund’s COVID-19 Response Mechanism (C19RM), under which Zimbabwe has received over US$180 million since 2020 to support both pandemic response and broader health system strengthening.
Of this, about US$51 million was managed by UNDP, mainly for infrastructure investments, while the remainder was implemented by the Health and Child Care ministry under the C19RM malaria grant.
These investments represent one of the most significant health system strengthening efforts in Zimbabwe in recent years.