Thinking About HIV...

As we approach this weekend and start to think about the house build, the group held a reflection on Tuesday night about HIV and AIDS. Since we’ve been here and had the excitement and opportunity to experience this country, we have been busy seeing new things and learning more and more about the culture every day. This being said, Botswana has the second highest prevalence for HIV and AIDS in the world. You would think upon coming to such a country you would see evidence of the virus everywhere, but here in Botswana you really don’t. The people are so unbelievably friendly and happy to be here – they live without showing any signs or distress related to HIV, if they are infected. In fact, during reflection we even discussed how difficult it is to tell people who are HIV positive apart from those who are negative. At SOS I wonder which children could be positive, if passed on from their mothers. It breaks my heart to think that some of these children may be on ARV’s for the rest of their lives and may one day develop AIDS. Not only would they live with the medical condition, but also face the harsh stigma that comes along with it. Unfortunately, here in Botswana as I’m sure is similar in other countries, HIV and AIDS carry heavily negative social and cultural implications with it. For those who are positive disclosure can be difficult enough, but then having to face the negative treatment and discrimination of others is unthinkable. Some are isolated from their families and even abandoned – this is so even for children who were infected by their mothers during childbirth or breastfeeding. Breastfeeding is also such an important tradition in Botswana that if a woman is seen bottle feeding a baby, she is automatically deemed ill with HIV. In order to prevent the stigma of HIV, positive mothers will breast feed their children anyways, passing on the virus to their child. This may seem like such an unloving act for a mother to do, but until we are faced with such unimaginable stigma we will never know what they go through. Family, friends and community can be such important networks to have, but with the social stigma attached to HIV many of these networks and relationships vanish. We see HIV and AIDS as such medical issues, but we often forget how those infected can be affected mentally and emotionally. The medical, social and cultural implications of HIV and AIDS, along with stigma all contribute to the issue as a whole here in Botswana. All of which are important to keep in mind this weekend as we build a house for a family who has been largely affected by the virus. The daughters are orphans of HIV – their parents died of AIDS, which means it is possible they may be positive. If they are positive, their children could also be positive. You can now see how complex the issue becomes. I am hoping that this weekend opens up my eyes to the reality of HIV, orphans and vulnerable children, poverty and the reality faced by Botswana and its people. The build will be challenging physically, but also mentally and emotionally and I am hoping that the experience will be a lasting reminder of just how fortunate I am for my health, my education, my family, my friends and also to be born in a country where we can live such worry free lives. We often find ourselves stressing about time and money, but in Canada, both these come as luxuries. We really have nothing to be worried about…..