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Agusta Exposto (Mama Ata)
A wise proverb says, "Experience is the best teacher." One must learn from mistakes so that they don't happen in the future, improve for the better, and prevent others from making the same mistakes. Drawing from her own experiences, a mother with a child living with HIV is actively involved in an AIDS Care Community group to ensure that other children don't face the same challenges.
Agusta Exposto, also known as Mama Ata, is a housewife and an integrated service post cadre. She has been working as an integrated service post cadre since before she was married. Mama Ata, who is 38 years old, has six children and is still active in her role. She is a member of the Manleten AIDS Care Community in Belu District. Mama Ata's first and second children have moved to Jakarta, so she lives with her husband and four other children. She is among the people living with HIV and AIDS.
In 2011, Mama Ata, who was busy with her activities as a cadre, found it challenging to provide breast milk to her 4-month-old fourth child due to her busy schedule and lack of information and tools to store breast milk. Consequently, her husband suggested that another mother would breastfeed the baby. Coincidentally, Mama Ata's neighbor also had a baby, so they decided to leave their baby with the neighbor.
After being breastfed by a mother, Mama Ata's baby's growth was impaired. The baby became thinner; she had constant diarrhea and fungal growth all over her body.
"She was born normal, around 3,8 kg. I thought that if she was still four months old, she should still be breastfed. Finally, yes, I had it checked. The doctor told me that my child was infected by HIV," she explained.
Mama Ata and her husband panicked and decided to take the HIV test immediately. Surprisingly, the results came back negative. However, upon further examination, it was discovered that Mama Ata's daughter had contracted HIV from the breast milk given by their neighbor. The neighbor was unaware that she was HIV positive.
After the incident, Mama Ata immediately provided treatment for her child, putting all her energy, resources, and effort into her child's health. Since childhood, her child has been taking medicine. Finally, the child asked Mama Ata, "People take medicine for a short time and get better right away. What is wrong with me? Why do I have to take medicine every day?"
Mama Ata finally disclosed her HIV status to her child. "Upon hearing the news, my child accepted it right away. I believe it may be due to the medication taken during childhood, as my child has always been healthy and received comprehensive HIV and AIDS education since an early age," Mama Ata explained.
Mama Ata's unwavering dedication stems from her own experiences, driving her to continue her work as a cadre. When offered the opportunity to join a training event as an AIDS Care Community, she wholeheartedly accepted. As a member of the AIDS Care Community, Mama Ata fearlessly traversed long distances on her motorbike to ensure PLHIV received their ARVs at the health center. She also gladly went the extra mile, delivering ARVs to those unable to afford transportation.
Mama Ata's child is currently taking ARVs regularly. The public health center and the Health Office often contact her to schedule medical checkups for her child. Mama Ata advises all mothers never to allow their child to be breastfed by someone else without knowing their HIV status. She emphasizes the importance of taking good care of sick children, as her child is now living a healthy life.
(Novia Keren Cahyanti)
