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Birthday:
June 27th |
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| Esnart Nambeye bore one
child, a son now 17. But she is raising
eight more children -- the orphans left when
seven of Esnart's eight siblings died. It's
a lot to manage as she struggles with her
own health challenges: tuberculosis, HIV,
and cervical cancer.
Though she had been married
since 1989, Esnart's husband divorced her in
1991 because, she says, she contracted
tuberculosis and he did not want to care for
a sick wife. In 2006, when her TB recurred,
she was tested for HIV and found out she was
positive. She added antiretroviral drugs (ARVs)
to her TB medications, and joined an
HIV-positive support group. In 2007 she
remarried; her husband, a mechanic, also has
HIV. |
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 In
August 2007, Esnart was
found to have severe
cervical cancer – a cancer
that's a particular threat
to HIV-positive women whose
immune systems are
compromised. Esnart spent
weeks in treatment at a
Lusaka hospital; in spring
2008, she underwent
radiation treatment every
day for a month. By summer
2008, doctors say that her
prognosis is good. Her
husband has divorced her
since Doctors advised her
not to engage in sexual
activity while she healed.
Her husband says she is of
no use that way. Esnart has
moved home to her mother's
and has brought all nine
children for whom she is
responsible.
Esnart is the chief
breadwinner in her home, and
also helps pay the bills of
her widowed mother. She
found it frustrating to have
to use her earnings from The
ABATAKA Collection project
to pay for her transport to
the hospital for cancer
treatments. She much prefers
to spend the earnings on
food and school costs for
her nieces and nephews.
She knows there is no cure
for HIV and that she must
fight for her life against
cancer. She is grateful that
the jewelry-making project
gives her money for her
family, and skilled work: "I
hope I can keep beading for
a long time to come."
Updated
information following
a visit to Zambia in August
2010:
Esnart is a survivor. She
has been undergoing
radiation and cervical
cancer treatment since 2007.
Her life has been touched by
so many deaths- she had 10
siblings and only 2 still
remain alive. Her son who is
now 20 is in grade 12 and
Esnart is excited about that
fact that he will complete
his education this year. She
is still raising 7 other
children, orphaned by the
deaths of her siblings.
When Esnart was diagnosed
with cervical cancer in
2007, she joined a group of
other women with a similar
diagnosis. They formed a
small support group to try
to come to terms with their
cancer, as well as with the
problems associated with its
treatment. Esnart explained
that all of these support
group members have since
died. When asked why she
thinks she is still alive,
she says, proudly, "Because
I have the money to eat the
proper healthy diet
recommended by the doctors."
Esnart feels that she is
alive because of the
additional money she makes
selling her jewelry at the
local market, as well as
filling orders placed by
Mary Fisher for the Abataka
project.
When you buy
jewelry from The ABATAKA
Collection you befriend African
women on a journey. With your
help, they will rise from
poverty to empowerment; from
AIDS and despair to health and
hope. |
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ABATAKA
Website
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Shop ABATAKA
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ABATAKA on FaceBook
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