Do you know what I believe? My mother died not of AIDS but as a result of stigma and discrimination

Another issue which still disturbs me was the stigma against my lovely mother, her suffering and her death. It was a sad time for us all when her right to use the piped water – which all the neighbours use in common – was declined.

Do you know what I believe? My mother died not of AIDS but as a result of stigma and discrimination. I remember how she suffered from worry and depression. The hearsay and murmuring about her killed my mother. When people looked at her, they automatically started talking about her HIV-positive status. There was no one with whom to eat food and drink a cup of coffee.

In my view stigma and discrimination was the major factor in the death of my mother. If she had got proper care, support and love she might have been alive for many more years.
Etetu Manyazewal, female, 22 years, Ethiopia

practice interview, oral testimony workshop, Swaziland

Every day from the 1st of July until the 21st of July we will be sharing extracts from 21 oral testimonies of 21 men and women living with HIV in Swaziland, Ethiopia and Mozambique. We’ll share these extracts here on this blog – with daily links on twitter and facebook. On the 21st of July, our partner the International Planned Parenthood Federation (IPPF) will launch a publication of these testimonies at the International AIDS conference 2014. Read more about 21 stories 21 days. Read more about the project