Reuters AlertNet Full site
Homepage | Newsdesk | NGO Latest | Crisis briefings | Country profiles | MediaWatch | Jobs | Alerting | Login

NEWSDESK

MALAWI: Brunott Eliya, "I was fired because I am HIV positive"
02 Feb 2009 16:43:16 GMT
 Source: IRIN

Background

•  AIDS in Africa

•  AIDS pandemic

•  Health and diseases

MORE >>
MANGOCHI, 2 February 2009 (IRIN) - Brunott Eliya, 34, who lives in southwestern Malawi, in the district of Mangochi on the shore of Lake Malawi, was fired from his position as branch manager of a bakery because he was found to be HIV positive. He told IRIN/PlusNews his story.

"I used to be a hard worker and my employer was happy with my performance. Everything was going very well for me until the day I told my employer that I was HIV positive. That was on 5 June 2007.

"I plucked up the courage and told my boss that I was HIV positive - I actually thought I would get support and compassion from my boss, but all I got was a shock of my life.

"From that day on I was told not to touch his pens, cups and everything else that he uses in his office for fear of infecting him. I don't know whether he has the right information on HIV/AIDS, but I think he needs some awareness.

"He literally told me not to be close to [him] or touch him at all. It did not take long for him to fire me. He just told me that my services were no longer required there.

"The doctors said I am strong, I can work. The job I was doing was light in nature because it was ... [mainly] paperwork. I am taking antiretroviral drugs now. My wife too is on antiretroviral therapy.

"I have been to the Labour Office several times to [ask them to] help me on the matter but very little has been achieved. The Labour Office calculated what was due to me and the amount came up to K88,000 [US$628.57] but my employer only managed to give me K26,000 [$185.7].

"I have accepted my new status and I am not complaining that I am HIV positive. I have also taken the initiative to counsel people. I have since joined the Mangochi AIDS Support Organisation. We give support and care to people living with HIV.

"I have seen so many people who are living with HIV working, sometimes contributing better than those who are not HIV positive. I know of people who are HIV positive who are holding senior positions. Why then should I be segregated?"

jk/kn/he

© IRIN. All rights reserved. More humanitarian news and analysis: http://www.IRINnews.org


AlertNet news is provided by
Email this article       Send comments

Emergencies

•  AIDS in Africa

•  AIDS pandemic

MORE >>

NGO latest

•  ADRA Radio Program Wins Prestigious Media Award in Malawi
ADRA - International

•  Put your foot down and make a difference this New Year
ActionAid

•  Cholera and hunger: Zimbabwe's double disaster
ActionAid

•  CCF Connects Parents with Their Children through the Power of a Memory
CCF - International

•  Teenage peer educators teach youth about HIV and AIDS
World Vision MEERO - Cyprus

MORE >>

Latest news

•  MALAWI: Brunott Eliya, "I was fired because I am HIV positive"

•  UGANDA: New research shows support for medical male circumcision

•  Congo children branded as witches, abducted - U.N.

•  ZIMBABWE: Urban patients now referred to rural mission hospitals

•  SOUTH AFRICA: Fikile Mabuza, "I would love to have another baby - I would love to have twins!"

MORE >>

IRIN news

Background information

Briefings
AIDS in Africa - [Who works where]
AIDS pandemic - [Who works where]


Related articles

Breaking stories
 MALAWI: Brunott Eliya, "I was fired because I am HIV positive" (1 minute ago)

UGANDA: New research shows support for medical male circumcision (1 minute ago)

AlertNet insight
 Fighting the spread of HIV among Bangkok's addicts (1 minute ago)

Aid agency news feed
 ADRA Radio Program Wins Prestigious Media Award in Malawi (1 minute ago)

Blogs
 Life without George W: Humanitarian wars (1 minute ago)

Maps
 MAP: HIV, estimated prevalence, 2007 (1 minute ago)


Del.icio.us Del.icio.us  |   Digg Digg  |   NewsVine NewsVine  |   Reddit Reddit   
Thumb for /thefacts/imagerepository/RTRPICT/2009-01-28T194043Z_01_MEX02_RTRIDSP_2_MEXICO-HIV_mainimage.jpg|/thenews/pictures/MEX02.htm
Thumb for /thefacts/imagerepository/RTRPICT/2009-01-28T193332Z_01_MEX01_RTRIDSP_2_MEXICO-HIV_mainimage.jpg|/thenews/pictures/MEX01.htm
Thumb for /thefacts/imagerepository/RTRPICT/2009-01-23T204232Z_01_MGA02_RTRIDSP_2_NICARAGUA_mainimage.jpg|/thenews/pictures/MGA02.htm
Thumb for /thefacts/imagerepository/RTRPICT/2009-01-23T203949Z_01_MGA01_RTRIDSP_2_NICARAGUA_mainimage.jpg|/thenews/pictures/MGA01.htm
Thumb for /thefacts/imagerepository/RTRPICT/2009-01-22T192545Z_01_MGA001_RTRIDSP_2_NICARAGUA_mainimage.jpg|/thenews/pictures/MGA001.htm

A HIV positive man protests outside Mexico's Health Ministry building against the high cost of HIV medicine in Mexico City January 28, 2009. REUTERS/Jorge Dan Lopez (MEXICO) ...


More pictures | Galleries
Disclaimers |  Copyright |  Privacy |  Contact Us |  Feedback |  About Us |  RSS XML

Last updated:Mon Feb 2 16:43:45 2009