Some basic stats about HIV and transmission according to Dr. Futterman
- For every 4 HIV+ people, 2 of them contracted the virus as teens/young adults
- The average age of infection of girls is 5 years younger than boys--due to the tendency for girls to have male partners that are older than them and not being able to negotiate condom use in their sexual relationships
- The average age at first sexual encounter in Rwanda is 13 years old
- It is also easier to become infected via sexual transmission when younger
The story, common to many Rwandan teens, is one of a struggle to reach the age of five. Battling malaria, TB, dysentery, malnutrition, poverty. Then a struggle to find money to go to school. Finally, they have hopes of more than basic survival...a family, a job, love and a home. Until their mothers announce to them they are HIV+. That's right, many Rwandan teens find out they are positive as teens, through no fault of their own. How do you cope with that?
HIV patients are heavily stigmatized all over the world and their situation is no different in Rwanda. Worst case scenario: death at the hands of the misinformed, scared community members; at best, social rejection well past being the odd duck or the black sheep of the family. I say family, because many people don't tell anyone outside of immediate family due to fear of abandonment. I say abandonment because that is truly what happens. These people are left to fend completely for themselves and often physically and geographically pushed out of their village or town because no one will hire them for work, no one will sell food to them, no one will help them get milk or clean water. Simply, they are seen as walking disease bags. Trash. To be stepped over.
Finding out their positive status as teens is devastating and often causes them to act out against their parents. There is definitely a blame game going on here. The question being is it temporary or will the teens be angry, pushing their parents away forever? The sad truth is that they can't afford to stay angry for long, not at their parents. These may end up being the only people who will support them if the community were to find out their status. The counselors at the meeting attested to stories of teens turning to drugs and alcohol and engaging in many reckless sexual encounters as a reaction to their new label. An increasing number of children are taking ARVs, which has much better success rates of medication compliance when they grow up on medication because they are used to it. It is part of their daily routine. Like a Flintstone vitamin if you will. However, when teens are striving to be like their peers, to fit in, to be accepted, introducing something as small as a pill each morning and night, can have a great effect. Throughout my stay here I have often heard ARVs are a daily reminder of the genocide and of it's direct or indirect consequences. For the young people of Rwanda who find out later they are positive, they are no longer one of the lucky ones. They are a statistic. Support services need to be in place to help them recover from the shock, work through their anger, and find hope in a future that is entirely possible.
I have attended the children's and adolescent support groups. I have spoken with many teen girls who need someone to share with and I am honored and privileged to have been chosen. This about sums up their worries: what will I do? The support groups here, for all age groups are truly the most striking feature of WE-ACTx and definitely a much needed service. The people, at any age, who attend their respective groups are able to find friends to confide in, extended family that shares their worries, shares in their burden. At every meeting I have been to, participants express the most sincere gratitude for the existence of the support groups. This, along with peer education has been life changing according to these patients. It is amazing to sit in a circle with young men and watch them open up about their fears and to see them comforted in each other.
So I suppose the question on everyone's mind, well at least mine, is what can I do about it? Yes, I'm finally here, in the middle of this new place, but still an outsider make no mistake. What will I do when I come home? What can people who are feeling incredibly ordinary do? It will take more than giving money. Giving money doesn't give hope. Giving money doesn't show love. There is a world of difference between charity and justice. So stepping down off my soap box, I say to you, educate yourself. I have come here to learn first. No one can act without first understanding.
Before I came I realized how truly confused many people are about HIV, transmission, and treatment. I was asked how I would avoid getting AIDS. My immediate reaction to this question was pure sarcasm...so I'll leave that to your imagination...But the more I thought about friends and family reaction to this trip, the fear of international travel was nothing compared to the fear of working with AIDS patients. And that's exactly it...that's the answer...the job waiting for me at home...Education. I have not been afraid, not for an instant, while being here. I am not afraid because I am educated. I have sat in a circle with older women and talked about domestic violence, HIV transmission through breast feeding, and their options for safe sexual encounters. I have sat with prostitutes, orphans, substance abusers, victims, thieves, and the lonely. The best learning experience of my life has been spent listening to the outcasts. Lessons learned: 1) listen...It is so hard for some to speak, but the voices of the people I have been working with need to be heard. It is out of respect at the least and love at the most. Simply listening makes all the difference to the Rwandan people. I heard this, straight from many mouths, while I was listening.
and 2) question...It is hard for us to ask questions partly because we don't want to admit to not knowing the answer, but partly because we are afraid of what the answer might be. My hope for my writings is that someone reads them and hears the stories of the people in Rwanda and the world's poor, wherever they are, and are truly shaken. I hope to challenge the fundamental beliefs of our community in such a way as to stir up our way of life. I don't think that anyone can begin to help without first evaluating their own lifestyle and making a conscience effort to include the poor in it.
No comments:
Post a Comment