From Fear to Hope: Suzy Kitebi Turns Her HIV Journey into a Lifeline for Others
When Suzy Kitebi began falling ill frequently in 2007, healthcare workers advised her to take an HIV test. She hesitated, fearing the stigma that might follow a positive result. It was her pregnancy that eventually prompted her to test. She tested positive, although her baby later tested HIV-negative.
The diagnosis marked the beginning of a difficult chapter in her life. Her husband abandoned her, leaving her devastated and uncertain about the future.
“I lost hope. My fear was that I would die and leave my little children,” she recalls.
Her CD4 count was 150 cells/mm³, and her health was deteriorating. But her parents stood by her, providing financial and emotional support, while healthcare workers encouraged her to start and stay on antiretroviral therapy (ART).
Gradually, her health improved. Her CD4 count rose, and she regained the strength and confidence to rebuild her life. In 2020, Suzy volunteered as a Peer Educator at Ushetu Health Centre in Shinyanga Region, determined to help others overcome the fears and challenges she had faced.
“I decided to take this position so I could support those in circumstances similar to mine in 2007,” she says.
She recalls counselling a woman in her neighbourhood who was often ill but reluctant to test for HIV. With persistent encouragement, the woman eventually agreed to test and was found to be HIV-positive. Suzy offered to accompany her through treatment, giving emotional support and encouraging her to stay in care.
Today, Suzy says, the woman is healthy and continues on treatment. In another case, a 26-year-old man repeatedly refused HIV testing despite frequent illness. When his condition worsened, he finally tested positive but still refused treatment. Rather than giving up, Suzy connected him with another young man already on ART.
After months of encouragement, he agreed to start treatment. Today, Suzy says, he is healthy, married and working to support his family.
“I am particularly happy when people who test positive start treatment, stay on treatment, suppress their viral load and lead a healthy life. It energizes me to keep up my work,” she says.
At Ushetu Health Centre, Suzy supports around 40–50 people in a typical week through HIV education, counselling, treatment-adherence support and follow-up. When clients miss appointments, she contacts them to find out why. Some forget, some cannot afford transport, and others travel without arranging to collect their medication elsewhere. If she cannot reach them by phone, Suzy visits clients in their communities, sometimes cycling for up to three hours.
Working with healthcare providers, she helps find practical solutions, such as community ART refills and arrangements for clients who are travelling. “I feel proudest when I find a client who has stopped coming and bring them back on treatment,” she says.
Her personal experience helps build trust with clients who may otherwise hesitate to discuss their challenges.
“When I meet new clients, I tell them my story and what I have been through. It gives them courage and confidence to test, and to stay on treatment if they test positive,” she says.
Charles Marwa, Care and Treatment Clinic (CTC) in-charge at Ushetu Health Centre, praises Suzy’s contribution. “Her contribution is immense. The clients have great trust in her. She does a very good job, especially in following up those who miss their appointments. She doesn’t stop until she brings them back.”
Beyond her work as a Peer Educator, Suzy works as a tailor, keeps chicken, and grows maize and vegetables to help feed her family.
The woman who once feared she would not live to raise her children now looks to the future with confidence.
“If you compare me now and in 2007, I am more self-aware, more confident and hopeful about life. I believe I will be able to raise my children to the best of my ability. I also know that I will be able to save more lives of my clients.”
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Accessibility Statement
thps.or.tz
October 19, 2026
Compliance status
We firmly believe that the internet should be available and accessible to anyone, and are committed to providing a website that is accessible to the widest possible audience,
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To fulfill this, we aim to adhere as strictly as possible to the World Wide Web Consortium’s (W3C) Web Content Accessibility Guidelines 2.1 (WCAG 2.1) at the AA level.
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This website utilizes various technologies that are meant to make it as accessible as possible at all times. We utilize an accessibility interface that allows persons with specific
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Additionally, the website utilizes an AI-based application that runs in the background and optimizes its accessibility level constantly. This application remediates the website’s HTML,
adapts Its functionality and behavior for screen-readers used by the blind users, and for keyboard functions used by individuals with motor impairments.
If you’ve found a malfunction or have ideas for improvement, we’ll be happy to hear from you. You can reach out to the website’s operators by using the following email
Screen-reader and keyboard navigation
Our website implements the ARIA attributes (Accessible Rich Internet Applications) technique, alongside various different behavioral changes, to ensure blind users visiting with
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alongside console screenshots of code examples:
Screen-reader optimization: we run a background process that learns the website’s components from top to bottom, to ensure ongoing compliance even when updating the website.
In this process, we provide screen-readers with meaningful data using the ARIA set of attributes. For example, we provide accurate form labels;
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Disability profiles supported in our website
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Cognitive disorders – we utilize a search engine that is linked to Wikipedia and Wiktionary, allowing people with cognitive disorders to decipher meanings of phrases, initials, slang, and others.
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Notes, comments, and feedback
Despite our very best efforts to allow anybody to adjust the website to their needs. There may still be pages or sections that are not fully accessible, are in the process of becoming accessible, or are lacking an adequate technological solution to make them accessible. Still, we are continually improving our accessibility, adding, updating and improving its options and features, and developing and adopting new technologies. All this is meant to reach the optimal level of accessibility, following technological advancements. For any assistance, please reach out to
