CONNIE MUDENDA

Connie Mudenda é embaixadora de (RED) e activista da sida.

Nos anos noventa, o tratamento para o VIH non estaba dispoñible en África, e nin sequera se falaba da enfermidade. Nesta época, Connie tivo tres fillos, antes de descubrir que tiña o virus. Non lle fixeran a proba, e durante o embarazo, transmitiulles o virus sen sabelo. Máis adiante, perdeu aos tres debido a enfermidades relacionadas coa sida.

A pesar desta perda devastadora e do seu enorme sufrimento, Connie perseverou. Tivo a mala sorte de perder aos seus tres fillos, pero hoxe en día segue viva porque tivo a fortuna de que lle fixeran a proba, de recibir asesoramento, e de ter acceso ao tratamento a tempo, primeiro pagando por el, e despois gratuitamente. Coa axuda dos antirretrovirais, mantívose sa, e co tempo o virus fíxose indetectable no seu sangue.

Vive en Lusaka, Zambia, e é unha firme defensora da loita contra o VIH; traballa para combater o estigma, anima á xente para que faga a proba, e educa ás persoas que viven co VIH acerca da importancia de cumprir co tratamento.

Grazas á medicación e ó asesoramento, tivo unha filla chamada Lubona, que naceu sen o virus en 2012.

A súa vida abarca a traxectoria enteira da loita contra a sida das tres últimas décadas.

Cada día, 400 nenos nacen con VIH, pero Connie e Lubona son a proba de que isto non ten por que ser así.

A prevención da transmisión da nai ao fillo do VIH é fundamental para acabar coa sida en 2030. En todo o mundo, o 85% das mulleres embarazadas seropositivas reciben tratamento antirretroviral para previr esta transmisión, un incremento enorme dende só o 45% en 2010. A pesar deste progreso, debemos asegurarnos de que todas as nais que viven co VIH teñan acceso a este tratamento (e continúen con el) para evitar o risco de que lle transmitan o virus ao seu bebé durante o embarazo, o parto e a lactancia materna. Das 200.000 mulleres VIH positivas que aínda non reciben tratamentos para previr a transmisión aos seus fillos, máis do 90% destas mulleres están en África subsahariana.

A Covid-19 ameaza con interromper moitos programas esenciais de VIH, e nunca houbo un momento máis importante e máis urxente para actuar. Os máis vulnerables sufrirán o seu impacto con máis forza. Non podemos ignorar esta crise humanitaria global e debemos actuar xuntos en beneficio de todos.

(RED) é unha organización sen ánimo de lucro fundada por Bono e Bobby Shriver que se asocia cas marcas máis icónicas do mundo para crear produtos e experiencias (RED) e doar os beneficios da súa venda ao Fondo Mundial para a Loita contra a Sida, a Tuberculose e a Malaria. Estes beneficios tamén se destinan á loita contra a Covid-19.

Ata a data, os socios (RED) xeraron máis de 650 millóns de dólares para o Fondo Mundial, para financiar a loita contra o VIH / sida en Ghana, Kenya, Lesoto, Ruanda, Suráfrica, Suacilandia, Tanzania e Zambia. O 100% dese diñeiro destínase a traballar sobre o terreo; non se cobran gastos xerais.

As axudas para o Fondo Mundial de (RED) alcanzaron a máis de 180 millóns de persoas con servizos de prevención, tratamento, asesoramento, probas do VIH e coidados.

Connie Mudenda is a (RED) Ambassador and AIDS activist.

In the 1990s, treatment for HIV was not available in Africa, and there was not even talk of the disease. At this time, Connie had three children, before finding out she had the virus. She hadn't been tested, and during the pregnancy, she unknowingly transmitted the virus to them. Later, she lost all three of them due to AIDS-related illnesses.

Despite this devastating loss and her enormous suffering, Connie persevered. She was unlucky enough to lose her three children, but she is still alive today because she was fortunate enough to be tested, to receive counseling, and to have access to treatment on time, first paying for it, and later for free. With the help of antiretrovirals, she remained healthy, and over time the virus became undetectable in her blood.

She lives in Lusaka, Zambia, and she's a strong advocate of the fight against HIV; she works to fight stigma, encourages people to get tested, and educates people living with HIV about the importance of adhering to treatment.

Thanks to medication and counseling, she had a daughter named Lubona, who was born without the virus in 2012.

Her life spans the entire trajectory of the fight against AIDS over the past three decades.

Every day, 400 children are born with HIV, but Connie and Lubona are proof that this doesn’t have to be this way.

Prevention of mother-to-child transmission of HIV is key to ending AIDS by 2030. Worldwide, 85% of HIV-positive pregnant women receive antiretroviral treatment to prevent this transmission, a huge increase from just 45% in 2010. Despite this progress, we must ensure that all mothers living with HIV have access to this treatment (and stay on treatment) to prevent the risk of the virus being transmitted to their baby during pregnancy, birth, and breastfeeding. Of the 200,000 HIV-positive women who do not yet receive treatment to prevent transmission to their children, more than 90% of these women are in sub-Saharan Africa.

Covid-19 threatens to disrupt many essential HIV programs, and there has never been a more important and urgent time to act. The most vulnerable will suffer its impact most strongly. We cannot ignore this global humanitarian crisis and we must act together for the benefit of all.

(RED) is a non-profit organization founded by Bono and Bobby Shriver that partners with the world's most iconic brands to create (RED) products and experiences and donate the profits from its sale to The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria. These benefits are also destined to fight Covid-19.

To date, (RED) partners have generated more than $ 650 million for the Global Fund, to fund the fight against HIV / AIDS in Ghana, Kenya, Lesotho, Rwanda, South Africa, eSwatini, Tanzania and Zambia. 100% of that money goes to work on the ground; no overhead is charged.

(RED) Grants for the Global Fund have reached more than 180 million people with prevention, treatment, counseling, HIV testing and care services.