HIV/AIDS

Each day, our eyes are opened to the realities of this remote village when we learn about the situations in which the villagers live in. One of the realities is the vulnerable position of this village towards the potential spread of HIV/AIDS.

In the country of Tanzania, there are approximately 1.5 million individuals living with HIV (Human Immunodeficiency Virus – the virus that causes AIDS) and therefore are future AIDS (Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome) patients. The spread of HIV is increasing in at an alarming rate in this country and most other Sub-Saharan African countries. Countries neighboring such as Zimbabwe and Malawi have more than 10% of the population living with HIV/AIDS. Governments are campaigning against AIDS, doing prevention, promotion and education about the disease, which has successfully decreased the number of new HIV cases per year. However, the main problem is that these efforts are not enough and a large majority of Africans are still unaware of the dangers of AIDS.

When we take this large-scale, worldwide epidemic and look at this topic through a magnifying glass into the villages for some clues, it is not hard to find some reasons for the fast spread of HIV. The following is an account of our village, a typical rural village in Tanzania.

AIDS is not yet a visible problem in the village of Usolanga yet. One of the reasons is due to its remoteness. A road for driving was built in 1998, but it was not until the early 2000s that a more accessible road was constructed. It was not until the opening of the one road that the villagers interacted more regularly with larger villages and towns nearby. Before the road was built, villagers used to walk to the nearest village which took at least 3 hours one-way. However, with this advancement, the spread of HIV is also made possible. As more people travel out and guests come to visit the village, it has now been reported that a few villagers are showing symptoms of AIDS.

As every village have its own characteristics depending on the population makeup, the main religion and beliefs and their traditions. Each region has a completely different story. In our village, having several sexual partners is common. One might have many wives, or even with one spouse, have many lovers. Any villager when asked about this topic of marriage or AIDS would explain that “the other villagers” all practice polygamy. The doctor explained that there is a saying in the village, “marriage always consists of 3 people”. He would comment that he would never settle for a woman from the village since he knows that she will not “just” be his wife. When asked about the reasons of multiple partners, he replied that it was the pride of men to have many partners. It may be pride, or a different concept of marriage, or tradition, but I think it is ignorance. Most villagers still considered a spouse who had lovers a heart-wrenching truth. They say it’s bad for their hearts (their emotions), but rather live not to confront this established system.

Most villagers know about condoms, but it is against their belief to use it. Another Tanzanian saying, as explained by one of the nurses about wearing protection is that it is like putting sugar in a bag, you can’t taste its sweetness.

Three times a year, the primary school sends older schoolgirls to have a check-up at the clinic and receive tetanus vaccines. The purpose mainly is to test if the girls are pregnant. Girls in the village, as young as grade 3 (10 years old) may already be sexually active. Young boys and girls have girl/boyfriends. Many mothers, when their daughters are old enough, as young as 12 or 13 years old, tell their daughters that they are now, “mature” and need to find money, food, soap and oil by themselves. She will no longer provide the necessities. The mother herself was raised in such circumstances. Girls tend to exchange sexual intercourse for necessities or money to buy them. Girls still in school have asked the nurses for contraceptives.

Usolanga is a breeding ground for HIV/AIDS, it is just a matter of a few years before it will become a crisis in the village. We can do as much as we can in this HIV/AIDS battle and take it step by step.

Seminars:

Villagers, especially women are interested in learning about HIV/AIDS. We have been approached by various villagers to hold seminars on UKIMWI (Swahili for AIDS). Sacha and I are planning information seminars on AIDS with the health officers. We are praying to use both the Anglican Church and the Roman Catholic Church as places where the seminars will be held and open to the public. Our tentative dates for the seminars are in the end of March and early April. We also intend to give the clinic and the health officers HIV/AIDS pamphlets to hand out to villagers. Our goal is to have the health officers continue to teach on this topic and hold seminars for villagers.

Girls’ Club:

Two weeks ago, we have started a “Girls Only” club at the primary school, catering to girls in grades 6 and 7. The youngest being 12 years old while the oldest in class is 16. Since it is held once a week at the school during one of the “free periods”, we have a high number of attendees. As of now, 76 girls are signed up for our class. When Sacha made the name cards, we found that there must have been 4 Veronicas and 5 Zawadis in class. We think it is important to educate girls since they are among the most vulnerable groups of people (next to children) and will become mothers who can influence their family and the society. Women, especially in the developing countries do not know the extent of their power in changing the society. One of the main reasons is their lack of knowledge and education. One other reason is the hierarchy of the family, where men are considered more superior in decision-making than women.

In the class, we teach about AIDS through the “Why Wait?” curriculum developed by the University of Malawi. It is about protecting oneself, being confident to make good choices in life and saying “NO” to unwanted pressures such as being cohered into sexual relationships. We also teach an English session, which is one of the main attractions of the class. Many girls do want to be able to study in secondary school and English would help them in entrance exams. Knowing English is also an asset for finding a job in town. There is also a session on the Bible. What does the word of God have to say about today’s lesson? When we asked the girls if they believed in God, they all raised their hands. We also have a section of fun and games. The first week, we played a name game and all the girls who participated had fun on the field where we made 2 big circles, called out names and had a bit of running. It was a beautiful Thursday afternoon and we shared it, laughing unabashedly together. Next week, we will be learning a song together in Swahili. In return, we will teach an English song. The girls are exceptional singers and their voices in unison give such a fresh and lively feeling.

Already, we have held 2 Girls’ Club classes. The first class was about how we perceived ourselves and how we think others perceive us. The girls wrote down their descriptions, such as “I am pretty” or “I am smart and practical” or “I am ugly”, and so on. When we asked the question, “This bottle of water is half-full or half empty”, the girls were asked to choose one answer. About 90% of the class chose half-full, which means that they have quite a positive view on life. When we taught and did activities, the girls wrote down everything diligently in their exercise books. They are very attentive and we did not have any problems arise in class. We did mention that the class is optional and we only want to teach students who are willing to learn. The girls however, were really interested in coming to each class. When we taught about AIDS, we enjoyed our little presentation using umbrellas to explain the immune system. Previous interns have left a good lesson on AIDS. It required using 2 umbrellas, one normal umbrella and the other with holes. We then got a student to hold one umbrella while I held the broken one. Sacha poured water on us (water represented diseases), guess who got wet? The person with the holes in the umbrella got wet, which meant that the HIV virus has damaged her immune system to make her susceptible to diseases. In the beginning of each class, we ask them a question, “Are you special?”, then the whole class replied, “I am special!”. Since the first class, we have taught them that they are special and reinforce it every class. They really are special, each one of them and we want them to know that. In our eyes, they are unique. Imagine through God’s eyes, how beautiful they really are!