Happily ever after

28/02/2013

On Tuesday evening I was taken to a wedding by my host parents. The key piece of information they shared with me was that it was an Ethiopian woman marrying a ‘ferenge’ man (who I think turned out to be American of Chinese decent but I never got the chance to speak to them).

The ceremony was in the evening at a hotel function room, we arrived about 6:30 and it was gone 8:00 before anything kicked off. We were treated to a few songs and some music from a male singer and keyboard player. The colour theme was white and orange, there were archways with fairy lights over the aisle and lots of ornate flower arrangements. At the end of the aisle there was a raised stage, with two thrones and some other decorative chairs, all adorned with satin covers and sashes. There was a camera crew who had all area access, complete with a man that held a flood light attached to an extension lead to make sure there was enough light for the video to look good. There was a screen and projector to show the video live on the wall for the audience, something that was use throughout the event.

 The stage ready and waiting for the happy couple.

Camera crew at work

Quite a lot seemed to happen outside of the main room before we got a glimpse of the bride and groom. The mother of the bride was dressed in traditional clothing, with her hair and making up looking fabulous. Just outside the door they lit some flames which looked a bit like giant incense sticks. An announcement was made and the crowd of 200+ all stood up. Then the bride and groom came in followed by the wedding party, and their parents who then all lined the sides of the aisle. The bride and groom then took to singing and dancing up and down the aisle, whilst the crowd all clapped and joined in whilst still standing. She was dressed in and Orange and golden yellow dress, with her groom in a matching waistcoat. Her bridesmaids and the men had white and orange outfits, and other family members in traditional clothing. (for privacy I cannot post photos of them).

When this celebration came to an end, the bride and groom, with their wedding party took their seats on the stage. A gentleman, who I will assume was a pastor (it was a protestant wedding) then gave a quick introduction in Amharic and English, then followed this with various prayers in Amharic – the repeated used of ‘Egzebhair’ and chorus of ‘amen’ gave clue to this!

When this was finished, the mother of the bride left the room, followed by the camera man and went to exhibit the food which was waiting outside for the party. Then the bridal party went out and chose their food from the buffet and returned to eat. This process was then followed by the rest of the congregation. The buffet was certainly a feast, there was no shortage of food of all varieties and there were even two whole roast lambs being carved by the chefs.

 Mary had a little lamb…

Whilst we ate there was some music playing and some video footage of the newlyweds enjoying some video time at the gardens in a local resort. We left shortly after – I am unsure if this was for my benefit or because this signalled the end of the ceremony.

It was certainly different from any other wedding I have been to, and such a nice cultural experience. Especially because it was a union between a national and a foreigner, I’ve been told that the groom has lived in Ethiopia for a good few years and now they are married they are going to live in America for a few years, splitting their time between each country – a true example of cultural exchange!

Kx

HIV Survivors - Billy

26/02/2013

Billy* is the first male widower we have met. He is 57 years old and has 4 children aged between 16 and 27. His wife died in 1993 (EC) from HIV. Billy is not HIV positive, this situation is called discordant when in a couple only one person is HIV positive. He lives in a Kebele (government owned, subsidised property) and does not work. He is mainly supported by his son who works for the Health Bureau. One of his daughters would like to start a business; however she does not have basic education or the funds to start up any form of IGA (income generating activity).

His youngest child, Charlotte* was adopted by Americans who came over to Ethiopia for voluntary work when she was 4 years old. This is the case for many of the young children in the area at the time. Unlike the others, Billy has not seen his child since. Other children have been back in large groups a couple of times to visit their homeland, but Charlotte never came with them. He has tried contacting the American Embassy, the charity involved and various other organisations to find out if his daughter is alive and well. He received one photograph of her in reply; they have not provided her new name to him, or even which state in the US she is living in. While he is telling us it makes him desperately sad, he has essentially lost a child. Whilst he knows that she probably has a better life now, he still wishes he could know more about her.

This meeting was terribly upsetting; this man lost his wife and essentially a child very close together. No one will help him to contact her, she may not even know he is looking for her. For me this brought up many questions surrounding foreign adoption, which I will be writing about separately.

Kx

*names have been changed to protect identity

HIV Survivors - Debbie

26/02/2013

Debbie* is in her 40s, she is not married, has no children and lives alone. She is HIV positive and for the past 7 years has been taking ART. She was up-rooted from her family when she was very young, she does not know any of her relatives or even where she is from. She has lived in Awassa for most of her life, although she struggles to speak Amharic, and has no education.

Due to circumstance she ended up being a street sex worker. This type of work is very dangerous here, she has been left sterile and with HIV due to it. She now does daily domestic work, washing clothes, grinding barley, and preparing food for anyone who will employ her. Generally she can only get work if people do not know her status or her working past.

She was previously employed by a woman with a family to help around the home on a permanent basis, but when the woman died her children evicted her, not wanting someone who was HIV positive in their home – just one of the examples of discrimination she suffers regularly.

Her OSSA counsellor provides her companionship, she has no close friends in the community and so has little interaction socially. In the past she had received some financial support from OSSA, but as will many of the cases I have met, this was a one off occurrence some years ago.

  

Kx

*names have been changed to protect identity

HIV Survivors - Alexis

26/02/2013

Alexis* is a 16 year old girl, she is a grade 8 student who lost her father when she was 7 years old. She is HIV negative, however her mother is HIV positive.

In order to support her mother, and as the only child that can do so, she resigned from her education and is now studying to be a hairdresser with the aim that she can start to bring in a wage. Their home costs them 300Birr per month; their water usage is restricted to one jerry can per day by the landlord. This is not enough to provide them washing water, drinking water and water for making food. They spend a few birr each day buying water elsewhere so that they can wash their clothes and make injera to sell.

Their OSSA counsellor is their only support; they say that his interest in their lives and mediation between them and OSSA has helped considerably. He is the middle man that gets their donations to them, although in recent times thee donations have become few and far between.

Kx

*names have been changed to protect identity

I’m hungry, give me money

25/02/2013

I’ve heard the above phrase a few times; it seems that children and adults here have learnt a handful of English sayings to aim at the foreigners they see on the street.

The sad thing is, what they are saying is often true, but then again many other people do not know the meaning of what they are saying. For example, a well-dressed boy, with food in his hand said to me “money, money, I am hungry. Ferenge give me money” and it dawned on me that they may learn these phrases on the off chance the person they aim them towards feels a twang in their heart. Often I do, but I cannot give something to everyone, and if you are seen to give to some then you are harassed by others. It is a vicious circle because giving directly reinforces the perception that all foreign people are rich and can give things away, but walking by and not doing anything is so incredibly difficult when you feel you could help.

You may recall my HIV Survivor story about Helen, her life story evoked the most emotion from me of those I have heard so far. I found myself wondering at night whether she had eaten today or whether she had prioritised her children eating over her own health. It has niggled away at me ever since I met her, so I resolved I had to do something. The small act may have been just to settle my own mind, but also to provide some temporary relief for her and her children.

I am a believer that just throwing money at a problem does not necessarily have your desired outcome. So rather than just give money, I went to the local shops and bought her 2kg rice, a pack of spaghetti, a bag of seeds & nuts, 1kg onions, 1 cabbage, 1kg carrots, a pack of ’enriched’ salt, 6 eggs, 4 pieces of bread, 3 body soaps and 1 laundry soap - amounting to around 150Birr (just over £5). With my counterpart, I took them to her home and let her know that I had been thinking about her. Like I have said, it is a small gesture, which provides temporary relief but I felt it had to be done.

She was incredibly grateful, and completely surprised to see us again. To thank me she prepared coffee, in the traditional way. We sat outside; she gathered grass and flowers and set about roasting the coffee beans and preparing the cups. A couple of her friends joined us, and their children. One of her neighbours came to sit and spin her yarn while we were together, and the boys of the compound played football around us. We came to learn that her third child had gone back to the family of her birth mother; I could not help but think that this was terribly sad for her but to an extent lessened her burden. It was nice just to do something that is so normal for the local people. I sat admiring this woman who has struggled so much in life and a still has a smile on her face.

I am sure I will be back to see her again, part of me feels responsible for getting her the aid she so desperately needs. She shared her life story with me, an honour not many people receive. Teddy and I will be championing her story to secure her future and that of her children. The area she lives in is due to be ‘redeveloped’. Soon she will have to find a new home, I sincerely hope that she can sustain herself and her children somewhere safe but also know that her situation calls for some direct action if any of this is to prevail. 

Kx

Got myself a weave

25/02/2013

I never imagined myself with polyester hair, braided and piled on top of my head, but as I write this post it is exactly the case.

A few of the UK volunteer girls have been contemplating getting their hair braided, Shuruba, for a little while but never quite plucked up the courage. On Sunday, with the guidance of my host sister, three of us went to a salon and got our hair done.

We thought it would be a long, slow and painful process. To our surprise having our hair braided was not remotely painful – the girl that had been getting her hair done while we waited our turn seemed to be suffering greatly at the hands of the braider, perhaps she was trying to give us the jitters!

This is a snap of me mid-braid, the hairdresser must have been knackered after doing all three of us as we were there for well over 3 hours and she didn’t stop for a break once.

I had to buy two packs of faux hair for my style to be completed, I’ve got 14 braids twisting round my head and gathering in a very large bun at the lower right hand side of my head. I was convinced I would look like a completed tool with African style hair, what with not being, well, African. Actually, people seem rather taken back by my hair style, I have had strangers call me beautiful, and even ‘Habasha’ which is certainly an upgrade from ‘Ferenge’! I do feel I attract more attention now, not only am I white but I now have big hair woven onto my head! Quite literally, the hair dresser took a needle and thread and sewed on the fake bun to the rest of the braids to keep it in place. 

This pampering came to a total of 72Birr (£2.60) which includes the cost of two packs of hair and an hour of the hairdresser’s time. Apparently, this is expensive, with most styling being 15Birr or thereabouts and a cut being 30birr. My host family nearly passed out when I told them that my cut and colour in my UK salon equates to 1900Birr!

This style should last me at least a week, hopefully longer if I look after it well. Maintenance consists of using a little hair oil to keep it smooth; this also soothes some of the tension, and covering it when I sleep. Each night I will be sporting a plastic bag on my head, with a scarf tied over the top to protect all my hair. I will not need, or be able to, wash it while it is braided, so that is a bonus!

This might become a regular thing for the remainder of my weeks here, as they say ‘When in Rome….’.

Kx

HIV Survivors – Amy

22/02/2013

Amy* is 56yrs old, her husband died 16 years ago, when their daughter was 4 months old, and their son was 4 years old. She found out she was HIV+ 11 years ago and has been taking ART ever since – it is thought her husband transferred the disease to her. She suffers from chronic ear infections, and is regularly on 6 month treatment cycles for them.

Over five years ago she received some financial aid from OSSA, a good portion of which had to go towards heart medications for her daughter; she has a heart defect which is currently not being treated. She is now earning money by selling fruit on the street, although often suffers vindication from people who are prejudice about her HIV status.

Her daughter has resigned from her education to care for her; she is working doing daily labour to earn some money for them to live on. Her idea is that without her mother caring for her as a child she wouldn’t have achieved anything, so now it is her turn to care for her mother.

OSSA provide regular HIV test for her children, they are both HIV negative, and also home based care for her when she is unwell. She is grateful for her counsellor, helping her mentally and physically and providing food when they have nothing to eat.

The sadness here is that her daughter, who was doing very well academically, has given up her education, granted it is for a very good reason, but this will also hinder her future.

Kx

*Names have been changed to protect identity.  

HIV Survivors – Helen

22/02/2013

Helen* is 32 years old, she is HIV positive, transferred from her husband and recently widowed. Her husband died last month, he was also HIV+ and had cancer. He had been in hospital with severe leg wounds which were badly infected; it is thought this is what caused his death.

She had two daughters with her husband, now aged 12 and 4. Within the same month of her younger daughter being born, her husband came home with another month old baby which he had fathered with another woman. This child became part of the family, and Helen refers to them as twins. Her 12 year old daughter is HIV+, however her CD4 count is ‘good’ which means she is not eligible for free ART medication; therefore she is not taking any. Essentially she has to be more poorly to get help. She did however receive quite intensive treatment for Tuberculosis.

Before her husband died, they were supported by OSSA. They had been given some funding to start a business, he was a shoe smith, and she would assist him and also make Shiro or Injera to earn a little more money for their family. They both suffered discrimination for their status and many people would not buy from them. She now receives little to no support from them, believing that some funds were raised for her but they have not reached her. She is grateful for the moral and spiritual support she receives from her counsellor.

Now that he is gone, she cannot earn the same wage. She has become a ‘daily’ worker – cleaning clothes, being a maid for anyone who will give her work. She needs to earn a enough to cover her outsgoings of 200Birr a month, as rent for her small home (a single room, about the size of a double bed where all 4 of them live). She also has to pay 350Birr per month for her two children to go to school – the family of her husband pay for his other child to go to school. However it was mentioned that the family of the mother are trying to claim the child back, the living status of the mother is not known.

She said she would like to be able to study, she is only educated to Grade 4 (her 12 year old daughter now being grade 5) but how can she study when she is now the sole breadwinner for her family. She said she would do anything to keep her children fed, including going without herself – a dangerous game to play when you are HIV+ and the only surviving parent.

I struggled to keep myself together whilst interviewing her, I could not decide if I should feel sad or angry for her. I was sat in a small home, watching a widow, dressed head to toe in black mourning for her late husband who was adulterous, infected her with HIV, and left her quite literally holding a baby that wasn’t hers…

Kx

*Names have been changed to protect identity. 

HIV Survivors – Zena

22/02/2013

Zena* is a grandmother to four gorgeous girls aged between 10 and 18. They are cousins, their mothers being Zena’s daughters. Two of them lost both their parents to HIV in the same week, nearly 12 years ago. The other two lost their mother 6 years ago, also to HIV, although they do have a living father who cannot support them, and his whereabouts are unknown. None of the children are HIV positive.

Zena is quite energetic for an elderly lady, the love she has for her granddaughters is clearly evident, and tears swelled in her eyes when she reminisced about her daughters. She keeps herself busy with traditional crafts (e.g. spinning yarn) and making coffee and popcorn to sell. Her efforts are not well rewarded and she struggles to keep their heads above water.

OSSA have supported her for 12 years, initially providing everything from bed linen, soap and food to educational materials and financial supplements. This aid has waned considerably over the years and now the only aid they receive is educational materials and uniforms for the four girls to attend school.

This story is heart-warming alone, however I have to add that there was another child we met, Betty*, she is 5 years old – to look at her you would think she were 3 years old at a push (this is a direct effect of malnutrition). Zena found her in the woodland a couple of years ago, she had been abandoned by her family, no one knows where she is from. This big eyed shy little girl is now part of the family; she is helped by everyone in the home compound.

For a family, even a group of people living in a small compound, who have so little to live on to take on another child is such an outstanding thing. Their wages and homes may be small but their hearts are gargantuan.

Kx

*Names have been changed to protect identity. 

Time for some photos

As I cannot share photos of the people I am meeting here (in order to protect their identity) my posts have been rather dull! So here are a few photos of bits and bobs that have been going on;

This is some fresh fish from the lake, fried and ready to eat! Each fish is about 20Birr (under £1) which is a bargain for a quick bite. I've had a couple so far, but i find them oily and I'm not to keen on fish skin!

This is one of my neighbours making injera, a staple food here that is eaten with EVERY meal. It is made from Tef flour and water then cooked in a 'crepe' style way on these hot plates with a wood fire underneath. 

This a one of the many monkey families you will see in Hawassa. This particular snap if from the 'national park' which is on the lake, we paid 10Birr to enter and you can buy peanuts to feed to the monkeys etc. 

This is the view from the inside of a bajaj. These tuk tuk style taxis are everywhere here, like 3 wheeler passenger bikes that will take you short distances for a couple of birr, great when the heat is high and you're out and about. 

That is enough for now, more to come! 

Kx

HIV Survivors – Agnes

19/02/2013

Agnes* is 45 years old, she has been widowed twice by HIV. It was not until after she was widowed he second time that she got herself tested, with encouragement from her neighbours. Her first test came back positive; she has been living with HIV for 5 years and takes ART medication. Her CD4 count currently reads at 316 (the recommended count for good health is 500-1,000) anything below 350 should be considered serious and treated. When she first discovered she was positive, she was very stressed, she suffered many illnesses due to the stress, as a consequence she has lost a lot of weight (this is also a side effect of ART) she currently weighs 37kg. She has 3 children, aged 10, 11 and 18 – none of them have been tested for HIV. She struggles to pay for their tutoring and general living.

Until recently she lives in a nice compound, renting one of the homes, but when her HIV status was discovered she was evicted. She now has a small home, during the day it is a coffee place, and at night it is their sleeping area. She has suffered a lot of discrimination, she says the only companionship she has is her OSSA counsellor, and God.

She says in the future she would like some fridges and coffee machines for her small business, and that her advice to anyone else in her situation would be to get tested as soon as possible because she spent a long time suffering from various ailments without knowing her status.

Kx

*Names have been changed to protect identity. 

HIV Survivors – OSSA Orphanage

19/02/2013

When you hear the word orphanage, what do you imagine? I imagine a place full of young children who have lost both parents and are now in some kind of social care. This notion soon changed when we went to visit the orphanage the OSSA is responsible for.

When you think of an orphan, what do you consider? Certainly for me it is someone who has lost both their parents and potentially has no other family. However, I have come to learn the terms ‘single orphan’ meaning only one parent is lost, and ‘double orphan’ meaning both parents are lost.

We arrived at a compound, and were greeted by 7 young adults who had been sharing their lives together for over 7 years, in a compound constructed by German volunteers some years back. There was a boy’s room and a girl’s room, filled with bunk beds, a communal room with a TV and dining table, a bank of showers, toilets and sinks and a kitchen. They also has a little outdoor space, and a new addition to the orphanage, a tiny puppy.

We spent some time talking to all the occupants and having lunch followed by coffee, these are the stories we heard;

Mercy* is 21 years old and is currently studying computer science at university. It struck me that this girl has beauty and brains, something that I am sure will take her far in the future. She hopes to work in the software programming industry. Her mother died several years ago, she was left to be looked after by some family friends in the village she is from, but they soon began to struggle to look after her. At the age of 12 she came to be under guardianship of OSSA.

OSSA provide her materials for studying, food and accommodation. She also receives 400Birr from OSSA and 250Birr from Norwegian Church Aid per month for her studies – this is not enough for her to survive on and save for her future. When she graduates University she will have to leave the orphanage, she will be at an age where she should support herself, but will start with nothing.

Graham* is 20 years old, he is currently studying public health at university and homes to work as a health officer when he graduates. He lives at the orphanage with his sister, May* who is 18 years old. She is a grade 12 student and will go to university next year. She wants to study engineering, particularly hydro-power. They are originally from Shashemene, when both their parents died they lived with an uncle for some time. Sadly as their uncle aged and became less able to generate income, they had to leave to be supported by OSSA. They only have a slight memory of their father because they were so young when they were orphaned. They tell us that OSSA have made their lives more comfortable and ensured their education and wellbeing. Graham hopes to go to work in rural areas of Ethiopia when he graduates so that he can help the communities that most need it. He also receives 650Birr per month as noted in Mercy’s story.

Bobby* is 13 years old, he is a ‘single orphan’ and has one brother from the same father. When his father died, his mother remarried -we learnt that in Ethiopia there is a stigma attached to children from the first marriage living with the step parents. In this case Bobby and his brother came to the orphanage as their mother needed her new husbands support and could not provide for her two boys. She went on to have another son and a daughter with her new husband, who all live together. Bobby and his brother did not get on well, his brother was returned to the family, most likely stretching their resources and leaving no room for Bobby to also be there. He goes to visit, but will remain living in the Orphanage until her comes of age to leave. He hopes to be a doctor when he is older, and is an avid fan of Manchester United.

Sally* is 18 years old, she is a grade 12 student and will soon go to university. She came to OSSA when she was 5 years old. She originally comes from the gold mining areas.  Her parents separated when the father wanted to stay to work and her mother wanted to go to Awassa for a better life. Sadly, once in Awassa her mother died, she does not know her father or where he is. She may return to the area she is from in the future but has not relatives or connections there.

When asked what she wanted to study/ do as a career she replied that she did not want to confine herself to one thing and that there are many things she enjoys. For example; drama and the arts – she write scripts for plays at the church, and also like to dance. She then also notes that studying medicine would interest her. It was refreshing to meet someone who had so many ideas and considered several choices.

September* is 18 years old, she has no siblings and lost both her parents to HIV. Her only relatives are her aunts, but they cannot support her so at the age of 11 she came to the orphanage. She is a grade 9 student, this implies that her education is not as wholesome as it should be for her age. She particularly enjoys physics and history at school, and has ambition to be a film director but may settle for studying social science at university instead!

Sara* is 19 years old, she is extremely shy and did not want to join us for our discussions, though she came out of her shell a little later on. She did not want to offer much information about her life, we do not know why but can assume any number of reasons. She is a grade 8 student, for her age she is somewhat lacking in academic ability, OSSA are encouraging her to study and will monitor her progress.

All of these young adults seemed to be content with their lives, they have someone to cook for them, safe shelter, water and their educations to concentrate on. There are a few rules they must stick to, boyfriends and girlfriends are ‘prohibited’ so they do not become distracted (though this does not stop them having secret admirers), they have curfews and do not receive any ‘pocket money’ (with the exception of the university students who receive some funding to enable them to get to and from the university which is around 30minute away). They are however allowed to go and visit any living family they have that are nearby, so at least they have not lost all contact with their relatives.

We noted several things that we would like to procure for them, books of all kinds, educational and novels as they all enjoy reading, and maybe some playing cards, dvds and cds. Although a little ambitious, maybe a laptop or computer that they can have to share and use for their school work. Only time will tell if we are successful or not!

Kx

*Names have been changed to protect identity. 

HIV Survivors - Wendi

19/02/2013

Wendi* is a 40 year old widow, with five children ages 18 to 25. She moved to Awassa from Wolayta around 20 years ago. She lives in the poorest area of the city, in a home constructed from mud and dung. Her husband worked for the water bureau and often travelled long distances and for long periods of time to dig wells and provide manual labour for water resources. It is likely this is how he contracted HIV, he died 11 years ago.

After she lost her husband, she noticed that she was falling ill regularly; her body often ached and itched so she decided to get her blood tested. She went with one of her daughters supporting her and discovered she was HIV+. This news caused much discomfort with her other children, and she suffered discrimination not only directly from them but also from her community.

OSSA provided her with some financial assistance, she was also part of the world food program, meaning she received regular donations of wheat each month to be able to make food. This contributed greatly to her health improving, which was particularly noticeable via her CD4 count. However, due to her recovering health, she was no longer eligible for the world food aid, which clearly had a diminutive effect.

She tried to support herself making injera to sell, but once word got around about her HIV status no one would buy from her, she became isolated and unable to sustain herself. She had saved some of the money she had received, but it did not last her long once she was reliant on it to live from day to day. Fortunately she is now earning a small income making some homemade foods and selling close to her home where people respect her regardless of her status.

Her OSSA counsellor has had a positive effect on her psychological well-being  although she is still very ashamed of her positive status, and will hide her ART medication from view of others, not disclosing her health to anyone. As a result of her ART medication she now also suffers from hypertension and regular fevers, but she considers this somewhat better than her illnesses before her medications.

Kx

*Names have been changed to protect identity. 

Little donkey

19/02/2013

“Little donkey, little donkey

On a dusty road

Got to keep on plodding onwards

With the precious load.

Been a long time little donkey

Thro' the winter's night.

Don't give up now little donkey

Bethlehem's in sight”

When was the last time you saw a donkey, cow, goat, horse or chicken strolling down your street? For me, it was this morning. Animals are heavily relied on here, in a very obvious way. Many people have their own cattle, and use donkeys for work. You have to be careful where you step for the copious amounts of dung and dropping (of various sizes and colours) and be sure not to get in the way of their munching.

I cannot help but flinch when I see the long whips being used and hearing the crack of the leather or wood against their hide. Horses are used for passenger carts and cargo carts, and donkeys also for cargo. Their harnesses are often ‘bodged’ and ill fitted, created big gashes and wounds, particularly on their underbelly and joints. The saddest thing is that these will remain untreated, probably get infected and be the demise of these animals. Even when the animals are clearly wounded and struggling, their masters continue to work them and punish them.

I have seen children throwing rocks at donkeys who were minding their own business trying to get some shade and a chew of some grass. I intervened, but to little result.

The issue is there is very little prevalence of human rights here, so that makes it even harder to encourage animal rights. I am quite sure that if the people who are using animals for their livelihood were educated and shown that keeping the animals healthy and treating them fairly will prolong their lives and thus mean they get more in return for them, there would be a turnaround in the attitudes currently surrounding animals and their treatment.

Kx

HIV Survivors – Ann

18/02/2013

Ann* is a 45 year old widow with 5 children aged between 9 and 24. She lives in a compound owned by her mother and pays 300Birr per month in rent. Their living conditions are considered to be that of a ‘low family’ in Ethiopia. Her husband was a war veteran (in the Eritrea war), he most likely contracted HIV during his serving years, he died in 2002 (EC). She had been his sole carer while he was poorly, he was not taking any ART medication and they had no external support from NGOs.

In 1987 (EC) she had her first HIV test, it came back negative. She was encouraged by an elderly neighbour to get tested again for HIV after her husband had passed. She subsequently found out she was HIV+, most likely contracted from her husband. When she discovered she was HIV+ she was very depressed and made at least one attempt on her life. She found it difficult to process the information she received and was struggling with day to day life. If it had not been for the intervening support of OSSA and her volunteer counsellor she would not be in the state she is today.

She noted that she suffered discrimination at first, but now that the attitude towards HIV/Aids is changing she does not notice it as much, although she is sure there is still gossip in the area regarding her status.

She currently lives hand to mouth, with a small coffee business on the street. Her future ambition is to have a shop, much like a convenience store, with the hope that it would provide regular and higher income. She would like some support for her children’s education because she feels they are doing well academically but will need future support to succeed.

Kx

* Names have been changed to protect identity. 

HIV Survivors - Teresa

18/02/2013

Teresa*, a 45 year old widowed mother of five, she is HIV positive.

She lives with her children aged 16, 20, 25, 25 and 28.

Her husband suffered from HIV, prior to his diagnosis he earned a good wage and they had a generously sized home by Ethiopian standards. As he fell poorly they had to sell their home and use their money to sustain their lives while he was unable to work. He died 10 years ago.

Teresa was helped by Mary Joy (an NGO) to get tested for HIV once her husband had passed. Her first test came back positive; she contracted the virus from her husband. At this time, not only was she grieving and having to deal with the news of her own health, she also suffered discrimination from her community. She says many people would not come to see her, believing that the ghost of her late husband was in her compound and not wanting to associate with someone who was HIV+.

This is when OSSA stepped in, providing financial support, food and medical aid to her and her children. Back then the funding from donors was much greater, it has somewhat deteriorated now. They still currently support her medically, covering costs of medical check-ups for her and her family. ART medication is provided free of charge in Ethiopia.

In an attempt to support her and her family, she began to rent some of the space in her compound to local people who had animals; her home became a grazing area for donkeys, goats and such like.

A few years ago some volunteers came from The Netherlands to work with OSSA. Teresa and her family became one of their priority cases. They raised funds and used them to convert the animal area into a better compound and living space. Her family now has a ‘movie house’ much like a mini cinema. They charge entry for people to watch films and particularly football matches on their large flat screen. Her son also runs a small rental stall for music and films to generate income for them all. Her eldest son is a Bajaj driver and supports her as much as he can. This currently allows them to live hand to mouth.

We asked if Teresa had an education, sadly she has no formal education, only the education of life. When asked if she would like to learn she claimed she is now too old and too poor in health to learn. She is severely affected by cataracts in both her eyes which are very apparent when you look at her. Something we hope we can assist with by referring her to an NGO for eye care.

Her future ambition is to have an animal dairy as this will likely produce a higher income for them to live on. Her advice to other people in her situation would be that a life with HIV can be maintained; she has lived with the virus for over 10 years and regularly shares her experiences with her peers.

My overall feeling from the conversation was that they were grateful for the assistance they have received over the years, however it has deteriorated considerably now and they are very much independent financially. Meselch, the OSSA counsellor who visits Teresa frequently helps with some things around the home when she can, particularly if Teresa is feeling unwell. She says that this kindness and assistance is invaluable to her.

Kx

*Names have been changed to protect their identity.