Football changed my life: From 'death sentence' to forming my own team

"To be told of an HIV-positive result was tantamount to a death sentence. I experienced pain, emotional turmoil, uncertainty, hopelessness and fear and started wondering if it was worth my while to wait for the slow, painful, inevitable death. I seriously considered suicide but leaving my children without a parent gave me second thoughts." Litta Zharare has no problem recalling the terrifying day that changed her life forever. Her husband, whom she met when she was still at school and had barely completed Zimbabwe's GCSE equivalents, had just died after 13 years of marriage and three children. "After my husband's death I joined a community-based organisation as a volunteer home carer," says the now 38-year-old, Harare-based Zharare. "All care givers had to undergo an HIV test. To my surprise, I tested positive – my husband was the only man I had ever been intimate with." At this nadir Zharare was put in contact with Positive Initiative Trust. Backed by a wide range of bodies, including the British Embassy, it takes a sports-based approach towards supporting people with HIV/Aids and, frequently through involvement with football, helps them lead full, "positive" lives while also educating others about prevention. In time Zharare would form her own women's football team, Stigma Eradicators, but, initially, she was trained as a "peer educator" in Epworth, one of the most poverty-stricken districts of Harare where child prostitution is rife. "My training sort of opened my eyes and instilled the need to be actively involved in the fight against the pandemic that had deprived my children of a father," she says. "The most difficult barrier to fighting HIV and Aids effectively is the stigma. Eradication of stigma and discrimination is one of the key objectives of Positive Initiative Trust. "I have experienced the devastating effects of stigma and discrimination. They build a culture of silence and denial around Aids; the eviction of all people suspected to be infected with HIV by landlords is still widespread in my community. "Some parents still prohibit their children from playing with HIV-positive friends. Some church leaders preach that those infected are being punished by God for their sins. The fear of stigma prevents people getting tests and being treated." Zharare has used football to help gradually erase many of these taboos. "I formed a football team of women from our support group and named it Stigma Eradicators," she says. By so openly promoting the visibility of women living with HIV and Aids the team encouraged candour and understanding. "Stigma Eradicators have significantly changed people's attitudes in my community," she says. Although the number of women's XIs supported by Positive Initiative Trust around Harare is now well into double figures, it helps that female football is still comparatively rare in Zimbabwe. "Women playing attracts publicity as this is still regarded largely as a men's domain," she acknowledges. "Stigma Eradicators training sessions draw crowds. "Seeing people living with HIV and Aids playing competitive football matches has given the pandemic a human face in our community, breaking the silence surrounding it. People have begun to openly discuss and disclose their status." Born into a peasant family in rural Murehwa, Zharare had a tough upbringing as one of nine children and regularly walked 10 kilometres to school. Such resilient determination ensures that, as a leading light within Positive Initiative Trust, she is intent on dismantling long-standing prejudices. "Stigma Eradicators have mobilised sex workers and integrated them into Positive Initiative Trust's activities," she says. "This has led to behaviour change as most of them no longer spend their time in beer halls. "I had always wondered why God gave me a second lease of life while most of my neighbours succumbed to the pandemic. I have since realised that God had a purpose: he selected me to utilise the power of sport to change lives – mine included."