“When we heard that Lita (25y) tested postive with HIV, the first thing we had to do was learn to accept it.
Lita is my first-born child. She made me a father and defines who I am. When she will be discharged, I will make sure that she doesn’t have to do any heavy household chores. I will provide all the necessary support and love. “
Gerald, Lita’s father
Malawi’s HIV prevalence is one of the highest in the world, with 9.2% of the adult population (aged 15-49) living with this condition which attacks the immune system. HIV is the main cause of mortality in the country.
With a new ‘Circle of care’ model Médecins sans Frontières (MSF) aims to reduce mortality among HIV patients through early detection and strengthening the referral system.
During a 3 weeks assignment for MSF in Nsanje district (where is estimated that 12,5% of the population has HIV), I visited several patients suffering from advanced HIV/AIDS, some of them with opportunistic infections and illnesses like TB and cervical cancer.
I connected with beautiful people like Austin, Grace and Manfred who all struggle to live a full life despite their HIV status.
An assignment for Médecins sans Frontières (MSF).
The photos and videos were used worldwide for the campaign and report: ‘No time to lose’ – Detect, Treat and Prevent AIDS, and was presented at the AIDS conference at ICASA 2019 in Kigali, Rwanda in December 2019.
Click on the images to read the captions.
