19 Oct 2016

Being diagnosed with HIV and AIDS can be one of the toughest experiences in one’s life to the extent that others even fail to cope with the challenges, except for the few big hearted.
One such brave heart who managed to go through the challenging journey is Ms Onalethata Mpebe, a Serowe native mother of one. Currently working at MedRescue International (MRI) as a call centre agent, Ms Mpebe has managed to found Happy Kids Happy Feet, a project aimed at assisting underprivileged school kids by donating shoes to them.
Above all, she also founded Positive Moments, a group whose objective is to help people living with HIV and AIDS accept themselves and live healthy and better lives as well as learning to reduce stigma. During an interview with BOPA Ms Mpebe said she found out that she was HIV positive in 2013 during her regular testing intervals.
“Learning that you are HIV positive could be one of the most difficult and devastating experiences you go through in life.
I was shattered, hopeless and my world crashed. I started wondering how I was going to cope, how I will survive,” she said.
She said as the reality sank with time she realised that being HIV positive was not the end but the beginning of a new chapter and that it did not have to stop her from living her life.  
She said it was then that she started opening up to close friends and family about her status.
“The more I opened up to those close to me, the more I felt relieved. What I experienced was completely unexpected because everyone was supportive and this made me feel more at peace, despite feeling lonely and stressed at times,” she said.
After a long time Ms Mpebe then decided to go public. She said firstly she notified her family and friends who were totally against it, but she went ahead nonetheless.
As we live in the world that is technology driven Facebook became the first and right platform for her to break the news.
It gave her courage as the response was positive. People gave her support and complimented her for being so brave.
That is where Ms Mpebe said she developed more courage and started to even share her statuses live on radio.
 “I went live on various radio stations about my status. This made a great impact in many people’s lives as they started contacting me on daily basis.
I had hundreds of HIV positive people reaching out to me and sharing their experiences and seeking for my advice. I took it upon myself that it was my responsibility to help them and make them see light and live meaningful lives,” she said.
She said that was when she was compelled to seek more information on the epidemic so she could give proper advice to the other affected people, and that in her pursuit of information, she then decided to form and register a support group called Positive Moments.ENDS