From Anne in Nigeria - on World AIDS Day
December 1st, 2007 at 8:57 am | posted by FieldAt 7am this morning (and every morning except Sundays), more than 30 kids came to the Gwaimen Center in Kwoi, where I work. About half of them are HIV+, so they start their day by taking ARVs to go with their breakfast. Most of them go to school until 12:30 then they return for lunch, baths, naptime. Then we usually spend a couple hours working on their reading, writing, and math, and playing, of course. In the evening, they head home with dinner and another dose of ARVs.
They didn’t follow this regiment because it’s World AIDS Day. This is what they do everyday. For the HIV+ children, their lives include CD4 counts, visits to the doctor, ARVs and their side-effects, and for nearly all of them, the loss or sickness of an HIV+ parent.
Yesterday, I was at the Center and hanging out with the kids. We were reading a book about kittens and practicing the alphabet - really notable stuff. And Precious, a one-year-old was sitting on my lap. They don’t know her HIV status yet because the test is more definitive once they are 18 months or 2 years old. But her mom is HIV+ (and a cook at the Center), and her brother Vincent is 3 and HIV+ (and a total handful). I just had to wonder what her life would look like. Our Executive Director, Beatrice Kadangs, always says “You’re either infected or you’re affected.”
People are campaigning hard to stop the spread of AIDS. One of the most powerful things I’ve heard is a commercial on TV, asking us to imagine an AIDS-free generation (and giving tools to prevent infections).
It’s a dream I think we all should share in and work towards - a world without AIDS.
-Anne Batchelder, ONE member, former ONE Deputy Director of Field, and founder of the Gwaimen Center in Kwoi, Nigeria
December 1st, 2007 at 11:11 pm
thank u for giving me your email.
Your aktivities with many kids in Nigeria who infected HIV/AIDS, make me want to do the samething in my hometown too. Today, I read one of lokal newspaper in my hometown about free education for kids who lived in proverty, It makes me want to act soon as possible, because kids is our responsibility. I love children, like I love myself and I love you too. thank you
December 2nd, 2007 at 5:43 pm
Thanks Anne for continuing to keep us informed of your activities there in Nigeria. They are always well received here in the ONE Blog.
Even though we are now on opposite sides of the Atlantic Ocean, I feel a real kinship for what you are doing. My activities for ONE have always been, and will always be, NOT motivated by my admiration for Rock stars, movie stars and politicians, but because of my lifelong Love and Respect for Africa’s people.
Yesterday, here in Austin TX, I staffed a ONE/(RED) booth at a local music festival on World AIDS Day. I chose this event because I knew that there would be a lot of “indie” people there - just the sort of independent thinking individuals that would be receptive to ONE.
And I was right - I was able to sign up over eighty people to ONE on our petitions, spread the word to many more about (RED) and found a web designer who is more than willing to work with me on a website idea to further our movement to make extreme poverty history!
I look forward to hearing from you in the future here in the ONE Blog, Anne. Take very good care of yourself. Blessings for all your friends and family - both in the USA and Nigeria.~
ALWAYS FOREVER, ONE - debbie