So a couple of weeks ago I went to observe an HIV support group in Nkunya, one of the most underdeveloped villages in Kpando district. The prevalence of HIV/AIDS is very high in this area because two of the tribes were at war for so long and that war had a negative effect on education and development in the area. Most of the children who are at the orphanage are from Nkunya; it is about a 10 minute taxi ride from the center of Kpando.
I didn’t know what to expect at the support group because, as I have mentioned in previous blog posts, the stigma for HIV is so big. I wasn’t sure if there would be people throwing eggs at us or if we would be shoved in a secret room with 20 locks of protection. Upon hearing of the support group, I had mixed feelings about it. I thought it to be an amazing resource to have for those who are HIV positive, a safe place where they can disclose their status, express their problems and seek information and medical help without being ashamed. But on the other hand it also seems a bit dangerous because if you make one person in the support group angry for whatever reason, they can disclose your status to whomever they wish and there goes the rest of your livelihood.
Stigma, why is there a massive stigma that goes along with HIV/AIDS in Africa? Well from what I have concluded, it’s because previous to the Anti-retro viral treatment (medicine), if you were found to be HIV positive it was basically a death sentence, because AIDS was inevitable, it would come and take your life. Therefore, if you were positive you were good as dead, and in most cases, your family would stop taking care of you because in their eyes, they would be dumping resources into a black hole. Ju Ju, a form of black magic and/or sorcery was the traditional religion in Ghana before colonization brought Christianity, so there are still traces of this belief throughout the culture. AIDS and Ju Ju also go hand in hand. In some cases, if you are HIV positive, you are thought to be cursed and dangerous.
Nkunkya sits at the bottom of a huge, lush, green mountain. The scenery is absolutely beautiful, thinly paved roads winding around the lush countryside. The taxi Anthony and I took pulls over on the side of the road, about 4 km outside of the Nkunya center. A beautiful woman in a yellow t-shirt greets us at the roadside, takes the huge suitcase of donations we brought and heaves it atop her head then starts to lead us through the bush. We walk for about 5 minutes until we come upon a partially finished building of mud bricks and wooden beams filled with about 25 to 30 people singing and praying.
Everyone’s attention is now fixated on us, suspicious looks, happy looks, confused looks. Foster and Ella are the two who organize this support group which meets once a month. They introduce us as friends from Kpando who work for an NGO called UNiTED. We are not automatically welcomed with smiles and praises, because they are wary of our position, will we tell people? Can we be trusted with this information? It is only after we explain our position, that we are hear to observe and see if we can hopefully help in anyway possible, do we get smiles and praises from the members of the group.
There was a lot of translating going on during this meeting. Nkunya has its own language, then it is translated into Ewe then Anthony translates it into English for me. My head was spinning as I was taking notes. The meeting started out with very technical questions about how you can give HIV to others and how you can become re-infected with HIV. Then it got more personal, individual testimonies were given about how the Anti-retro-viral treatment (also called ART or ARVs) has changed his/her life, made them healthy again. The woman who met us at the roadside stood up and told her story. She confesses, her eyes watering, that she was a walking skeleton, days away from dying. Her parents abandoned her and her boyfriend left her upon hearing she was HIV positive and she was basically left to die alone. Foster and Ella found her on the streets, scooped her up and took her to the hospital and got her on ARVs which she has been on for 2 years now. She looks healthy and is extremely beautiful. She feels strong now and says she has something to live for again. Hearing these testimonies and the encouragement and cheers from the other members hurt my heart, yet warmed it at the same time. The stories were so humiliating, sad and unimaginable. I found myself crying as Anthony was translating the stories to me. However the praises, support and love in the “room” was so immense. These strangers have been brought together by this awful sickness, but are helping each other navigate their way through it, every month, here in this unfinished room, in this pocket of love in the bush.
I’m sure many of you are familiar with Magic Johnson; he is a major spokesperson for HIV/AIDS. He is HIV positive, but is taking ARVs to keep him healthy and prevent him from contracting AIDS. Anti-retro-viral treatment is a drug cocktail consisting of 3 or 4 different medicines, different for every person, to keep the virus from replicating and attacking your immune system. You must take these drugs at the same time every morning and every night for the rest of your life. The drugs essentially keep the virus dormant, you still have the virus and can still pass it to others, but it no longer takes your life. These medicines have been available in the US for some time now, but have only become affordable to places like Ghana in the past 3 years. It costs 5 Ghana Cedis ($3.50 US) each month for a month’s supply of the ARV drugs. There is a lot of work to be done to let the people know about how these drugs can help prolong life and hopefully eradicate stigma. With these medicines, being HIV positive is no longer a death sentence.
Sunday, March 21, 2010
Tuesday, March 9, 2010
Scouts
NOTE: I have uploaded a few pictures. If you click on the picture in the left corner above the caption "my life lately" it will take you to an album I have created.
Last weekend I gave an educational lecture on STIs (Sexually Transmitted Infections) and HIV/AIDS to about 60 boy and girl scouts! They range between the ages of 13 and 17. I was so nervous about speaking in front of a large number of teenagers, not to mention about such an EMBARRASSING and sensitive topic! When I was told I had to give this talk and who the audience would be, the scene from Varsity Blues immediately came to mind. When the Health Teacher stands up in front of the class and before talking about reproduction and STDs asks the class to repeat after her then says in her thick Texas accent, "Penis, Penis, Penis, Vagina, Vagina, Vagina."
Anthony, one of Edem's friends, accompanied me to Ho Hoe, which is about a 30 minute taxi ride from Kpando, and also where they were having their camp-out. It was in the cab that Anthony informed me I was the "key note" speaker, talk about some news that did not help with managing my nerves. We arrived at around 7:30pm and it was VERY dark. As we drove up to the compound I could faintly hear singing voices. There were about 10 tents set up that in the darkness looked like gigantic caterpillars. As we got closer, the voices got louder, it was the scouts singing and dancing around in a circle. These scouts are very similar to what we have in the states. They learn survival skills, leadership skills, how to tie a knot, etc.
Greetings are a big deal in Ghana. If someone comes to great you, you stop whatever you are doing, face the person fully and greet them. The formalities of it all can take up to 15 or 20 seconds and if you think about it, that's a long time just to greet some one in passing. I greet Harrison, the scout master, and Evelyn, one of the other women in charge and we chatted for about 20 minutes. I tell them where I am from, what I am doing in Kpando and about the work UNiTED is trying to do. I feel like now is a good place to mention that every Thursday I have been observing VCT (voluntary counseling treatment) for HIV patients at the hospital. I have enjoyed doing this SO much and told Harrison and Evelyn so. They must have heard me wrong or something, because Harrison introduced me as, "Doctor Rosie, a very good white doctor working at Margret Marquart Catholic Hospital in Kpando. She is very knowledgeable about STDs and HIV so ask as many questions as you would like." It took everything in me to keep from bursting with laughter.
All in all the talk went extremely well. I truly believe that they learned something and after saying the words penis and vagina out loud two or three times the awkwardness fell away. I guess the teacher from Varsity Blues had a point with that silly exercise! I was actually floored by some of the questions/answers I got from them. Just to see where they were in terms of knowledge on the topic of HIV, I asked a few questions before I started the lecture. The first question I asked, "How does a person become infected with HIV?" Three hands shot up with confidence. The first boy, about 16 years old and an obvious leader of the group, said, "Doctor, yes you can get HIV by sharing bread with someone who has HIV." My mouth momentarily dropped open before I could tell him that he was incorrect. The second boy, around 13 said "You can get HIV by sharing the same toilet or spoon with somebody who is infected." Again, WAY off! Finally, a girl raised her hand and said, "You can get HIV from having sex without condom with someone who is HIV positive." A grin spread across my face upon hearing her answer. I told her yes she was correct and explained that the HIV virus only lives in the blood and sexual fluids of a person who is HIV positive and that the virus does not live on their skin or in their breath.
With the HIV/AIDS epidemic being SO bad in Africa, i was shocked that these children did not know more about the virus and that it wasn't covered in schools. They are of an age where this topic should be covered in school. These kids are scouts, they are leaders among their age groups so their lack of knowledge, or mis-information is not only disheartening to me, but also a problem for their generation. This is a prime example of the stigma HIV/AIDS holds around here. With that being said, after I gave the lecture I was so proud of myself. I think they listened to me, probably because I am a doctor...hehehe. They answered the questions correctly the second time around. I feel like I educated them about something useful that will hopefully keep therm healthy, STI free and HIV negative.
I want to take this opportunity to mention how impressed I was with this scout camp out. The scout master, Harrison, has poured so much of his time, energy and love into teaching scouts to be responsible, educated citizens. He is trying to raise funds for the camp grounds where retreat weekends like the one I spoke at are held. They have already built a building, toilets and a kitchen all by hand and are now trying to build showers. By showers I mean a concrete structure with a couple of openings where they can take their bucket bath. Normally children around here bathe without a structure, but the scouts are adolescents and can no longer bathe without something covering them. I asked Harrison approximately how much it would cost to build them. He told me the supplies would cost around 360 Ghana Cedis and the labor would be free because it would be done by the scout troops. 360 Ghana Cedis translates to about 240 US Dollars. I am not sure if anyone reading this blog is involved in Girl Scouts or Boy Scouts of America, or has children who are in a troop, but this could be a great opportunity to help fellow scouts a little less fortunate than them. If you know of any troops back home looking to raise money for a cause or form a relationship with an international troop, this would be a great opportunity! Please shoot me an e-mail if you are interested! rosemarianbryan@gmail.com
Also, several people have been asking me what they can send me. I don't need anything, but the orphanage needs things like: boys belts, small boys underwear, MEDICAL TAPE especially, GOOD Band-aids, hydrogen peroxide, alcohol wipes, HAND SANITIZER, gauze, any other first-aid supplies, balloons and DVDs are always fun too.
Send any packages to:
Rosie Bryan
HardtHaven Children's Home
P.O. Box 216
Kpando, Volta Region
Ghana
Thank you again to everyone who has given me prayers and support!
Peace and Love from Africa!!
Last weekend I gave an educational lecture on STIs (Sexually Transmitted Infections) and HIV/AIDS to about 60 boy and girl scouts! They range between the ages of 13 and 17. I was so nervous about speaking in front of a large number of teenagers, not to mention about such an EMBARRASSING and sensitive topic! When I was told I had to give this talk and who the audience would be, the scene from Varsity Blues immediately came to mind. When the Health Teacher stands up in front of the class and before talking about reproduction and STDs asks the class to repeat after her then says in her thick Texas accent, "Penis, Penis, Penis, Vagina, Vagina, Vagina."
Anthony, one of Edem's friends, accompanied me to Ho Hoe, which is about a 30 minute taxi ride from Kpando, and also where they were having their camp-out. It was in the cab that Anthony informed me I was the "key note" speaker, talk about some news that did not help with managing my nerves. We arrived at around 7:30pm and it was VERY dark. As we drove up to the compound I could faintly hear singing voices. There were about 10 tents set up that in the darkness looked like gigantic caterpillars. As we got closer, the voices got louder, it was the scouts singing and dancing around in a circle. These scouts are very similar to what we have in the states. They learn survival skills, leadership skills, how to tie a knot, etc.
Greetings are a big deal in Ghana. If someone comes to great you, you stop whatever you are doing, face the person fully and greet them. The formalities of it all can take up to 15 or 20 seconds and if you think about it, that's a long time just to greet some one in passing. I greet Harrison, the scout master, and Evelyn, one of the other women in charge and we chatted for about 20 minutes. I tell them where I am from, what I am doing in Kpando and about the work UNiTED is trying to do. I feel like now is a good place to mention that every Thursday I have been observing VCT (voluntary counseling treatment) for HIV patients at the hospital. I have enjoyed doing this SO much and told Harrison and Evelyn so. They must have heard me wrong or something, because Harrison introduced me as, "Doctor Rosie, a very good white doctor working at Margret Marquart Catholic Hospital in Kpando. She is very knowledgeable about STDs and HIV so ask as many questions as you would like." It took everything in me to keep from bursting with laughter.
All in all the talk went extremely well. I truly believe that they learned something and after saying the words penis and vagina out loud two or three times the awkwardness fell away. I guess the teacher from Varsity Blues had a point with that silly exercise! I was actually floored by some of the questions/answers I got from them. Just to see where they were in terms of knowledge on the topic of HIV, I asked a few questions before I started the lecture. The first question I asked, "How does a person become infected with HIV?" Three hands shot up with confidence. The first boy, about 16 years old and an obvious leader of the group, said, "Doctor, yes you can get HIV by sharing bread with someone who has HIV." My mouth momentarily dropped open before I could tell him that he was incorrect. The second boy, around 13 said "You can get HIV by sharing the same toilet or spoon with somebody who is infected." Again, WAY off! Finally, a girl raised her hand and said, "You can get HIV from having sex without condom with someone who is HIV positive." A grin spread across my face upon hearing her answer. I told her yes she was correct and explained that the HIV virus only lives in the blood and sexual fluids of a person who is HIV positive and that the virus does not live on their skin or in their breath.
With the HIV/AIDS epidemic being SO bad in Africa, i was shocked that these children did not know more about the virus and that it wasn't covered in schools. They are of an age where this topic should be covered in school. These kids are scouts, they are leaders among their age groups so their lack of knowledge, or mis-information is not only disheartening to me, but also a problem for their generation. This is a prime example of the stigma HIV/AIDS holds around here. With that being said, after I gave the lecture I was so proud of myself. I think they listened to me, probably because I am a doctor...hehehe. They answered the questions correctly the second time around. I feel like I educated them about something useful that will hopefully keep therm healthy, STI free and HIV negative.
I want to take this opportunity to mention how impressed I was with this scout camp out. The scout master, Harrison, has poured so much of his time, energy and love into teaching scouts to be responsible, educated citizens. He is trying to raise funds for the camp grounds where retreat weekends like the one I spoke at are held. They have already built a building, toilets and a kitchen all by hand and are now trying to build showers. By showers I mean a concrete structure with a couple of openings where they can take their bucket bath. Normally children around here bathe without a structure, but the scouts are adolescents and can no longer bathe without something covering them. I asked Harrison approximately how much it would cost to build them. He told me the supplies would cost around 360 Ghana Cedis and the labor would be free because it would be done by the scout troops. 360 Ghana Cedis translates to about 240 US Dollars. I am not sure if anyone reading this blog is involved in Girl Scouts or Boy Scouts of America, or has children who are in a troop, but this could be a great opportunity to help fellow scouts a little less fortunate than them. If you know of any troops back home looking to raise money for a cause or form a relationship with an international troop, this would be a great opportunity! Please shoot me an e-mail if you are interested! rosemarianbryan@gmail.com
Also, several people have been asking me what they can send me. I don't need anything, but the orphanage needs things like: boys belts, small boys underwear, MEDICAL TAPE especially, GOOD Band-aids, hydrogen peroxide, alcohol wipes, HAND SANITIZER, gauze, any other first-aid supplies, balloons and DVDs are always fun too.
Send any packages to:
Rosie Bryan
HardtHaven Children's Home
P.O. Box 216
Kpando, Volta Region
Ghana
Thank you again to everyone who has given me prayers and support!
Peace and Love from Africa!!
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