So school has started. Almost all of the students are here. Besides the 22 lessons per week, Im teaching KSL at two of the local VCT’s as well as helping out with a mobile VCT on Thursdays. VCT is like planned parenthood but for HIV/Aids. It stands for voluntary counseling and testing. Since some people live way out in the interior, the VCT goes to them. Last Thursday, I had a pretty powerful day. First we had to do a follow up with a family whose children were malnourished. When we get there, they start running away from us. They thought we were the police and we had come to bust them for illegal brewing. Once we got people calmed down, we went out to meet them. I had lost count of the number of children I saw. When I thought I had seen them all, more would just pop out of the wood work..literally. I asked one of the counselors what the story was with this family. He told me because their homes site on an “island” of sorts( surrounded by a swamp and a river), It’s difficult for them to get out into town. They don’t practice birth control r family planning, and with the customers purchasing not only their local brew but a romp in the hay as well, the children are having children. I was shocked when he told me the children were getting no lunch today and he didn’t know if they had eaten in the morning either. The focus for the family is their brewing since that is what brings in the money and not on farming. I saw 2 little girls. One who looked to be about 1yr old, couldn’t walk and was crawling around on the ground. One of the nutritionists who came with us, told me she was 5. Her sister was 7. She had the body of a 4 or 3 yr old. I was speechless. I asked if there was any improvement. The team said no. More children were being born and not enough food was produced. We drove away disappointed.
Our next stop was a tea weighing station to provide testing. Most of the time im usually holding my breath when people test, not wanting them to test positive. We had been out there for a few hours already and everyone so far that day tested negative. As the time continued on, more and more people were coming to get their money from the tea weighers. I saw a man with a basket on his back bringing tea. He got money and started to head home. He was about to round the corner out of sight when he stopped, looked at us and turned around. He walked over to our station and asked to be tested. I went on with what I was doing, untill one of the counselors asked me to get the second HIV test( the one used to determine if the person truly has HIV if the first test shows positive). I handed it to the counselor standing with the man. They had moved to a more private location. He had this look of panic on his face. The test was finished and the counselor left to continue working. The man stood there, hands on his hips, hidden behind the building, away from sight. I watched the emotions spread across his face. Panic, confusion, fright. He continued standing there for a good 10 minutes and then he picked up his basket and headed home. I cant imagine what his walk home was like, the things going on in his mind. I know America has HIV/AIDS but no one I know has it, not even an acquaintance of a friend. We don’t see it that much and so we tend to feel safe. I don’t even know of any couple who gets tested before they have sex. But living in Kenya has become an eye opener. HIV is so prevalent almost every single person knows at least 2 people who have HIV, has died from HIV or has had an acquaintance who has dealt with HIV. This man came to work today, excited to get his money and he left knowing he had HIV. I have never seen the face of someone who has tested positive. I think the way his face looked will be forever ingrained in my memory.
No comments:
Post a Comment