Gabsile (Swaziland)
Treated for HIV

In brief, this story is about Gabsile Mhlanga (photo) and Anton Lombe (dad) and their four girls: Nombulele (14), Nothandu (13), Sanzisile (5) and Sihlelelwe (17 mos). Anton is a day laborer who struggles to find work, and the family is really living on the brink, by all appearances.. There seemed to be very little food anywhere in the house on the day we were there, and their small garden patch had only young potato plants sprouting up. The girls were home from school because the family had run out of money to pay their fees and still owed for the previous term.

Their eldest girl, Nombulele is Gabsile’s daughter from a previous partner, and is HIV+ (as are both parents). Gabsile tested positive when pregnant with Sanzisile, and although she may have been initiated onto PMTCT during her 7th month, she didn’t adhere well enough and the baby was born HIV pos. Nothandu was born negative more or less by luck, it seems. During her fourth pregnancy she was treated at Baylor and did follow the treatment through, with the result that Sihlelelwe is HIV-. More details avail if this story is of interest…