Climb For A Cause

Kiwakkuki: Visit with Elizabeth Glazer (Anoo)

We had summited Kilimanjaro when we headed out to visit with the Kilimanjaro area project that is associated with the Elizabeth Glazer Pediatric AIDS Foundation. I felt a growing hollow in my stomach in aniticipation of the visit. The last time I visited an organization and its clients, it had left me disturbed for many days. Such visits are never easy .. no matter what other mountains you have summited.

We arrived to a singing welcome by the members of Kiwakkuki. Kiwakkuki (which in Swahili means "Women against AIDS") is a women's organization with a comprehensive and all-rounded approach to addressing the spread and impact of AIDS in the Kilimanjaro region. They were as excited to meet us as anxious as we were to see them. After a warm, singing welcome they presented to us their mission and work. A 97-slides show detailed the comprehensive program they have. They work to address the following aspects relating to AIDS --

1. Awareness raising
2. Voluntary Counseling and Testing
3. Orphan support
4. Home-based care
5. Collaboration with other organizations
6. Research and surveying on their efforts and growing needs

Their awareness raising activities are creative. AIDS is still a huge social stigma in the region so its hard to talk to people about it. One of the activities they do is having street drama in the market place. This draws the crowds. Through songs and stories they then convey the messages. They also have a youth awareness program. They recognize that aware youth can themselves make other youth aware.

To support orphans (children living with AIDS or those orphaned because parents are suffering/have succumbed to AIDS) they go into homes, evaluate the needs of the children and then sponsor better living and school conditions for them. We visited the home of 2 orphans. The children (a 13 year-old boy and a younger girl had lost both parents to AIDS) lived in a shack which consisted of one room. They were being cared for by an aunt and uncle. Kiwakkuki first helped expand the shed so that the children would have their own room. They then went on to build a more permanent home made with bricks and mortar unlike the old one that was made of pieces of wood and plastered with cow dung. The children's schooling is sponsored by Kiwakkuki. They still need more help -- the uncle is a day laborer with no steady income and the aunt doesnt work. The family truly lives from hand to mouth.

As part of home-based care, Kiwakkuki goes into the homes of people suffering from AIDS and helps treat them in their homes. We visited one such patient. It was heart-wrenching and I dont think I can truly describe it. I'll give it a shot. The patient, Simon, was a 31 year old man who was diagnosed as having AIDS at a very late stage. His girlfriend died 2 years ago but he refused to get tested and then got really sick, ending up in bed for the last 2 months. Kiwakkuki has been treating him in his home now. He lives with his mother who is taking care of him. His father lives in Arusha with another woman. His mother has asked his father not to return home. She has learnt her lesson from seeing her son suffer and so doesnt want to get sick herself. The man was in tremendous pain when we saw him. He is suffering from bed sores and is unable to lie in bed peacefully.

The Kiwakkuki nurse was to clean his wounds during our visit. We saw him for a few minutes and couldnt take it much longer so we stepped out to let the nurse work on him. A few minutes later Shalu (who is a surgeon) was asked to come in. She then went on to do a thorough cleaning of his wounds. She showed them how it should be done. She said she had nothing to do this with other than a shaving razor. Thankfully she got to wear gloves. The man cried and screamed as his wounds were being cleaned. Shalini thinks he needs better food and exercise so he can move his body. It doesnt seem like he will get this. He doesnt have much longer to live.

It is really painful to see people like Simon and homes like those of the orphans. It begs questions of how the world is and what we are doing in it. I remained pained and silent for the rest of the day. I cannot seem to reconcile and accept how I can have the life I have when people like Simon have less than 3 months to live.

The quest is on ...

posted by Climb For A Cause @ 9:09 PM