Flora Amongin is a waitress at one of the 3-star Hotels in Uganda’s Capital-Kampala. Before she enrolled at Reach Out Mbuya Community Health Initiative (ROM) for her Anti-retroviral Therapy (ART), Flora’s biggest worry was whether her hands would ever carry a child of her own. With ROM’s Prevention of Mother to Child transmission of HIV (PMTCT), Flora is a happy mother of an 18-year-old HIV free boy. This is her story…. 

“I am Flora Amongin, 21 years old and a mother of this lovely boy. His coming has made my life complete as I have now overcome the pain of loosing my mother at a very tender age-four years and growing up in the hands of my elder sisters. 

Before I came to ROM in 2018, I was getting treatment from one of the regional referral hospitals in eastern Uganda and that is where I was attending school from. When I completed senior four, my father decided to bring me to Kampala to study senior five as he also took care of me. It was a good experience living with my own father. It was at this time that he advised me to start receiving my ART at ROM as this was the nearest facility with good services. I was able to complete my Advanced levels and joined university-months after.

While at university pursuing my diploma in hotel management, I conceived in the first semester. This did not come easily on me as I got so confused that I even run away from my father’s house and hid in one of the towns in eastern Uganda. My health deteriorated because I had stopped going to ROM for my ART clinic appointments; I grew thin, darker and never felt the same as when I would take my drugs well. I started blaming myself for conceiving yet I was HIV positive, thinking it meant a death sentence.

I was still in hiding with my boyfriend when it was time for delivery. I had not taken proper medication but I informed the health workers about my HIV status. 

When the baby was 2 weeks old, I boldly decided to report back to ROM clinic. That time, I was doing mixed feeding (breast and bottle feeding which was not fight given my HIV status) The health workers were so nice to me that they lowered my anxiety. My baby was given nevirapine syrup, and I was advised to opt for bottle feeding.

I am lucky to have found such a supportive husband who has walked with me every part of this long journey. In addition to providing for the us, he also cares for the child and this relieves me of a lot of pressure. “

Flora has now been declared free from HIV and she promises to look after her very well by taking extra caution not to mistakably infect him. She is willing to work day and night to ensure that she secures his future through good health and education.