Chá Positivo

One of the first things that I did when I arrived in Maputo was to sit in on a peer educator training. Well, one of the other great things about being able to go to the military hospital is that some of the peer educators that were being trained during that week work there....and I get to hang out with them. This week I experienced my first “Positive Tea” – an event that takes place once a month in the hospital waiting area. The peer educators are all present to answer patients’ questions and put on little sketches, and they are usually joined by a doctor or two to provide reinforcement. Patients are invited to come with their families or friends to talk, ask questions, get support from other HIV+ patients, and have a little snack :)

On this particular day there were only about 15 people present for the chá positivo. The peer educators patiently answered everyone’s questions, and then put on a short “teatro” in the middle of the waiting area (which took some unsuspecting patients who just happened to walk through that area, by surprise). The little sketch held everyone’s attention, got lots of laughs, and - from what I gathered (much of it was in dialect) – was educational. The highlight? One of the male peer educators was sporting a black t-shirt that said “Single and Fabulous” on the front in sparkly silver writing, and “Sex and the City” on the back.