A Field Officer shares a story of assisting a married woman, her husband and his second wifeSometimes community members may not respond to the information that TCE conveys to them immediately. However, the mere fact that Field Officers and Passionates interact with community members and actively participate in the community makes them the first point of reference when individuals are ready to face the reality of HIV and AIDS in their own livesThrough my work as a Field Officer I have the privilege of meeting many different people. On one occasion I met a man with two wives. The wives lived in different homes. One wife was South African and the other from Mozambique.
The South African wife went for VCT and tested HIV positive. She came to me in tears to ask for my assistance in getting her husband and the other wife to get tested. The following day I went to mobilize the husband and the other wife, who were staying together full time. I mobilized them to go for VCT. They agreed to go the following Friday. I gave them a referral form.
When I did a follow up visit, the husband told me that the wife with whom he was living did not want to go to the clinic. I proceeded to encourage him to go and get tested and to keep encouraging her to go as well. The man confessed that he would rather die than go for an HIV test. Despite my efforts he was still reluctant to go.
About two weeks later the wife that he lived with got sick. Panicked and concerned, the husband came straight to my home and asked me to help them. I was the first person he thought of because he remembered the information I shared with them. I went to their home to talk with the wife again. She agreed to go for VCT this time. I assisted them with money for transport to go the clinic. They managed to go and they found that they were both HIV positive. Since that day they are thankful for the information and support I gave them. They are moving on with their lives and living positively. | 
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