So much to do, so little time…

August 27, 2009 at 9:18 am (Uncategorized)

I thought I would take the month of August off from my work at the clinic.  We were out of town for the first week and half of August, then we returned in time to start working on getting the schoolhouse ready for teachers and for school, then I went down to Accra to pick up the teachers, and now we are working to get them settled and get the classrooms set up.  I told my colleagues and they were very understanding.  They have hardly called to ask questions or say that I am needed for something, but when I checked up on some things I found out that they were having a hard time moving forward with them.  For instance, Awe (the little boy that we are placing in a new home) still has not moved in with his new family.  There are things that must be done, and they are urgent, but there are so many urgent things that one cannot tend to them without neglecting some other urgent matter.

So today I will put off school things in order to help expedite the process of getting Awe moved, but it makes me reflect on my colleagues who are working everyday, six days a week (and often seven,) who deal with these urgent, life or death matters at a much deeper level.  There are some things from which it is very difficult to vacate, and feeling that from my perspective makes me appreciate even more Kapitan, Akala, and Abass who are so highly invested in the work there.

2 Comments

Orphan Repatriation

August 20, 2009 at 10:21 am (Uncategorized)
Tags: , ,

Last night was a bittersweet evening as we were able to have dinner with some old friends who were lost and have been found, and as we spent our last evening with Kevin and Jenny, our friends from the clinic who are on their way back to the US today.

We were on our way back from Ghana after our retreat/vacation last week when we received a call from Kevin and Jenny .  There was some urgent business that needed to be taken care of, so we set up a meeting for the morning after our arrival back home.  Last year when we were here we were introduced to a family of four girls, Yvonne, Soolim, Massah, and Ruth.  They had lost their parents to AIDS and were living with their elderly grandmother.  These girls were healthy, friendly, and vivacious.

This November we returned from our trip to the US to find that three of the girls were gone.  Their uncle from Ghana had come to visit them and then decided to take them back to live with him against their wishes and the wishes of their grandmother.  We weren’t sure exactly where they were, so Kapitan set off on several trips to locate their village in Ghana and see that the family understood their health needs and that they were being cared for properly.  Over several months he did find the girls, spoke with the family, and tried to convince them of the importance that the two youngest receive their medication without fail.  These trips were unsuccessful.  So about two weeks ago he made another trip, having already spoken with an uncle that lives here in town, and with the uncle there with the agreement that the girls needed to move back here so that they can receive the medical care that the clinic provides.  For several reasons, some miscommunication and some family politics, he went but was unable to return with the girls.

We met last Wednesday morning to decide how to proceed, and the next day Mark, Kevin, Kapitan, and Abass (the director of the clinic) set off on a trip with medical papers and legal papers to try to convince the family that it is in the best interest of the girls to be where they can receive monitoring and treatment for HIV.  I am very thrilled to say that they were able to accomplish this and that the family agreed that it was the best decision.  Soolim, the second sister, is still with the family there and isn’t HIV positive so this poses no risk to her health.  Please pray for her as she is now apart from her three sisters.  We have spent the last two evenings with Yvonne, Massah, and Ruth and are grateful to see them so happy and healthy.

I am amazed at the lengths to which the people of the clinic will go in order to take care of their members.  They could have written off these children who had moved to another country and never would have been blamed for it.  The work that they do there is a work of the heart, and they see each individual they serve.  I am grateful to work with and learn from them.

2 Comments

Camp for HIV/AIDS Children

August 13, 2009 at 4:10 pm (Uncategorized)
Tags: , , ,

Every year, Peace Corps volunteers in the country of Togo work to host Camp Espoir, a summer camp for children infected and affected by HIV/AIDS.  This year they were running very short on funds, and we were able to contact some friends from Singing Oaks who very generously helped with the cause.  Amee and Alicia, the Peace Corps Volunteers who headed up the camp, invited us to come spend some time there.  So Maddie, our intern Abbie, our friend Shannon (who spends her summers volunteering at AED) and I headed down to spend the night and take part in the camp activities.

We got there on the last day of camp, and arrived just in time for the group discussions on discrimination and stigma.  We watched as the kids talked about these issues, then broke into groups and performed skits to demonstrate what they had learned.  It was great to see these children speaking openly about things that have an impact on their daily lives, yet are taboo to discuss.  At camp, they were able to be who they are without fear of being judged or ostracized.

After the group discussion they had a mock market.  They had divided into groups earlier in the week in order to learn to make things that they could sell at the market and perhaps earn a little money for themselves.  At the mock market, children were given camp money and groups sold what they had made.  Maddie was given an allotment of camp money and we were able to sample a little of everything that was offered.  There was popcorn, juice, two different types of peanut candy (one very similar to peanut brittle,) beignets, and beaded jewelry.  I was very pleasantly surprised that all of the snacks were quite good!

After market, there was free time during which the children could choose to do art, sports, or rest.  We enjoyed getting to know some of the people and talked until dinner.  Dinner was provided and was delicious.  They offered African fare but also provided some roast beef, mashed potatoes, gravy, and vegetables for the Americans.  I didn’t expect that at all but found that it was wonderful!  I noted that the dinner tables were very quiet as the campers had worked up great appetites during the day and were very focused on their food.  It was good to see these children being provided for so plentifully.

That evening we congregated to watch the camp slide show, then headed down to the pavilion were we celebrated with a dance party.  The party was a lot of fun and I was honestly impressed with many of the kids’ ability to dance.  There was a great celebratory spirit, and it was inspiring to see these kids cut loose and enjoy themselves before heading back home the next morning.

The next morning they had breakfast, then a final session.  We loaded them into taxi vans and provided them with lunches to eat on the way, then they were off and so were we.  For many of them I know that they were returning to very difficult lives. Many didn’t have families to go home to.  Many will return to places where they have to pretend that they are not dealing with the difficulties presented by HIV/AIDS.  Many will not have the camaraderie or support that they found at camp until next summer.  My heart and prayers go out to these children as they go back to daily life, and I’m  thankful to AED, the Peace Corps, the volunteers, and my friends at Singing Oaks who gave them the chance to let their worries and concerns go for week!

1 Comment