HIV/AIDS Support Needed
Arm in Arm in Africa: Tuesday, February 25th, 2003
Our day today began with a trip to Robben Island, the prison camp where Nelson Mandela was incarcerated for 20 years. We were guided through the prison by a former political prisoner who was able to provide a unique perspective of life on the island. At the end of our tour, he gave an impassioned speech about the need for reconciliation and forgiveness. In his words, “a wrong thing is a wrong thing,” and when you react to hatred with hatred, it only makes things worse. Strong sentiments from a man who spent his youth breaking rocks.
In the afternoon, we returned to the J.L. Zwane center to participate in an HIV support group. The support group at the center is, for many members, supplemental to other support groups they may attend. What they get from J.L. Zwane is the spiritual healing they find so necessary to keep going forward. Although many are not in the congregation, all are welcome. It is a truly ecumenical group. They were very welcoming and open to sharing their pain and struggles with us. We were all impressed by their eloquence and their understanding of the challenges they face. As one woman told us, “it is a miracle every day to wake up, because many do not.”
It is important to understand that the problem of HIV/AIDS in South Africa is not a stand-alone issue. It is intertwined with poverty - the lack of expensive medicines (really, even, the lack of basic medicines), malnutrition, inaccessibility to transportation, and the very real problems related to living in a shantytown. Unemployment is extremely high in the townships; even though people are willing to work, there is just no work available for them. Of the 33 members in the support group, only 4 were employed.
When asked what message they would like us to take back to the United States, they said that first thing, we must pray for them. We must let people know that we left behind our brothers and sisters in Africa and we must pray. They also had specific suggestions for how we can assist. The greatest need is for the world community to put pressure on the South African government to recognize HIV/AIDS as a very real issue and to force them to address it by providing better health care, especially anti-retroviral medications. Although HIV cannot be cured, it can be managed. But in order to do that, there must be acceptance at the highest levels of government. Another way to help them improve their condition is to find ways to partner with others to help create employment opportunities, such as the small businesses we saw yesterday. There is a great deal of creative talent among the people of Guguletu, but it is difficult to find ways to market that talent.
After the meeting was over, we spent time getting to know one another on a more personal basis. I was chatting with a woman who had a baby 19 months ago. She was lucky enough to receive medication to help prevent mother-to-child transmission of the virus. Her son was tested last month at 18 months old and tested negative. The relief and joy she felt knowing she had not passed on her illness showed in her face as she told me about it. She knows that these medications work and that it is not necessary for children to be born with HIV. Again, the word needs to be put to the forefront so the government can no longer hide their heads in the sand.
I’ll end with an African prayer that speaks to us all:
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