Danlami, and his wife Laraba live in Wukari LGA of Taraba State. His wife Laraba was found and approached by one of the Lafiyan Yara mobilizers (Village health Worker) and they got along quite easily. The mobilizer who is also a mentor mother by the name Habiba noticed Laraba was heavily pregnant and on further inquiries realised that she was in her 3rd trimester. She then informed her about the importance of enrolling for antenatal care of which she had not been previously enrolled. Laraba agreed to enrol for ANC and she was linked to one of SFH partner health facilities in Wukari. Laraba was tested for HIV during one of her routine visits and her test result came out positive. Immediately, she was enrolled for PMTCT and a month after she was enrolled, she delivered a bouncing baby boy.
The Mentor Mother convinced Laraba to inform her husband of her HIV status after which she encouraged him to take the test. However, Laraba’s husband was unwilling but after persistent follow-up by the Mentor Mother, he finally agreed to be tested. He also tested positive and was enrolled on life saving ART. Despite being previously hesitant, he finally understood the importance of ART and adherence to ART. This made him ensure his wife Laraba was placed back on treatment when she stopped for unknown reasons. The Mentor Mother alongside the Lafiyan Yara Project Team Lead who was on a supportive supervisory visit at the time, met with Laraba and emphasized the importance of adhering to treatment. The Mentor Mother and the Team Lead also sought to understand what challenges Laraba was facing that made her stop treatment. She discussed some of her challenges and she was reassured and advised on ways to mitigate those challenges. Laraba was soon after re-enrolled for treatment and a Dry Blood Spot (DBS) test was done for her newborn son.
During one of the routine visits from the Mentor Mother, Danlami reflected on how their lives would have possibly turned out if the Mentor Mother had not introduced them to the Lafiyan Yara project. He expressed his gratitude for the projects’ intervention and all the knowledge acquired. He also promised to ensure his family remains healthy by adhering to treatment.
