My heart broken
and apology letter to President John Mahama, to all schools
and churches, to all institutions and the media in Ghana
and abroad who have hosted me to educate them with my HIV story. I lied about
my HIV status to protect my children. I test positive to HIV in the year 2007.
Love for my children and fear for the future concerning
HIV-related stigma compelled me to deny publicly my HIV status putting the
entire world in the state of shock.
I entered into an agreement with the Ghana Aids Commission
five years ago to disclose my HIV status publicly giving a human face to HIV.
With my past experience of stigma
and rejection from house to house, abuse and discrimination, i requested
for shelter protection from the Aids Commission, which was agreed. The campaign
finally kicked off with my images on billboards and my videos being aired
across the nation.
I have so far attended over two hundred and fifty schools
and an uncountable number of churches nationwide with myeducation. A year after
my contract, Dr Angela El Adas Director of Aids Commission terminated my
contract living me homeless, and my compensation for risking myself and family
also taken from me.
These were reasons for my termination.
1. a journalist called Rebecca Awuah at GBC interviewed me
on GTV and in the process showed a gospel music I recorded when I was
barely 17 years. Due to that, Angela said I was using the HIV campaign to
promote my music.
2. I was unable to attend a particular program because my
mother in law wasn’t available to help me with my new baby.
3. I heard some staff of aids commission say I belonged to
an opposition party which I think may also be another factor for my
termination.
The termination letter affected me both physically and
psychologically for years, and I struggled many times with sleepless nights
even as at now. but since my termination wasn’t made public, schools and
churches continued to engage my services.
I then decided to intensify my education with a
movie I produced using my story. i took loan from UT bank and from some
individuals to produce this movie leaving me with huge debt as at now.
My ex-husband decided to run away from Ghana due
to stigma which he blamed me severely for.
My children started experiencing rejection at
school making my little boy always telling me he wouldn’t go to school again
because he was being called AIDS boy. This broke my heart as a mother.
I needed a new life for my children and since Ghana as a nation
left me to my fate, after all, I have done to achieve a great reduction in HIV
new infections especially among pregnant women and their babies in Ghana.
In order to get a new life for my children, I took the
wrong decision to publicly deny my HIV status. I am not a criminal,
neither am I fraudulent aids ambassador.
The CID can attest to that. To prove to that, I there by
give the go ahead to the CID to publish my health status which was recorded in
Korle Bu maternity block in the year 2007, 3rd September. The principal nursing
officer at the Korle Bu maternity block called Joyce Dodoo conducted
my first HIV test on 3rd September 2007.
Yes indeed my current HIV viral load test for some years now
shows undetectable meaning I have no virus in my blood anymore, which some may
call wonders of scientific retro-viral drugs, but I see it as a miracle.
And I believe any person living with HIV can also achieve
with Constance intake of the medication and with prayers.
His Excellency, President John Dramani Mahama is
the chairman of the aids commission and he launched the campaign I embarked on
when he was the vice president of Ghana.
I therefore humbly request of him to pay me my compensation
and my shelter which was agreed upon since Madam Angela has taken it away from
me.
I do not need a lawyer since am powerless to fight the
state, but I therefore will leave the entire nation only to the judgment of the
almighty God if am still denied of my right.
I, therefore, use this medium to express my sincere
gratitude to all who stood by me and to all who judged me wrongly in my trials
and tribulations.
God Bless our Homeland Ghana
Dzidzor Yawavi Mensah
( Former Ghana Aids Ambassador)
Source: kasapafmonline.com
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