Nguinia is a 58-year-old widow living in Tete province, Mozambique.

Until recently she was looking after her son Fungai, who is HIV positive, and his family.

Nguinia grows mostly millet and groundnuts on her land. In good years she has been able to sell surplus crops to buy food and clothes.

"My biggest problem is my son's sickness"

“Over the years, my biggest problem has been my son’s Fungai’s sickness,” says Nguinia. ”He is now 44 years old. He migrated to Zimbabwe and while he was there became sick. Two years ago, Fungai, his wife and three children returned here.

“His wife couldn’t do much as she was also sick. I had to find food and cook for all six of us. Fungai needs a lot of help. He had continual diarrhoea and needed help to get to the pit latrine. With all of this, there was no time to go to the fields, so last year we didn’t harvest anything.

“We tried everything to make Fungai better. We travelled to Songo, which is 40 km away, to consult traditional healers, but there was no improvement. The transport and treatment costs were expensive, so we sold many of our belongings. Then we sold the last of our food and had nothing left.”

"Now I have more time to work on the land"

HelpAge International’s Living Together programme in Tete has established support groups for older people affected by HIV/AIDS. Members of the support groups are trained as community monitors and activists. They identify vulnerable older people and help them help them to access hospital care and free medical services, and provide food, clothes and fuel.

Nguinia was helped by a community activist. HelpAge International gave the family money and provided transport to the health centre, so both Fungai and his wife could go for an HIV test.

Both were found to be HIV positive and are now receiving treatment. Since starting treatment, their health has improved significantly and Fungai can now work. He successfully applied to the social assistance committee for a grant to re-start his business as a cobbler.

"Now I have more time to work on my land and support my eldest granddaughter, who has stayed with me," says Nguinia. "I make sure she has enough to eat, and provide her with clothes and other basic necessities.”