Blindness and my HIV status did not stop me from raising 8 great children

Catherine Mwayonga, 63, with her grand children, Mary Wambui (left) Christopher Mwayonga and Esther Njeri (right) during an interview with The Standard at her home in Thika

"You're a great mother!" These are words I hear almost every day from my children. The combination of widowhood, blindness and HIV sero-positive status has never been stigmatising enough to make me lose my self esteem as a woman and as a mother.

Over the years, I have convinced myself that despite my blindness, which I got when I was only 7 years old, I have a right to do everything that a normal woman does. This includes a right to good education, falling in love, marriage, enjoying sex and having children. Even though my husband died, leaving me with school-going children and a HIV sero-positive status over 20 years ago, I am now the proud mother of eight very successful children and as they call me, a grand woman.