African Children

We had an interesting conversation with John Thomas last night. John is the pastor of the church where I have been preaching and has just returned from Zimbabwe where he was working hard, trying to help his mother-in-law keep her farm. (We need to talk about Zimbabwe another time) John is also the Chairman of CCFM, our FM radio partner here, and the Chairman of Living Hope, the ministry started to respond to the AIDS crises years ago. It now serves as the government's response in this area. He led the church as they started both of these ministries.

John was saying that now that they have the anti-retro-viral medicine, (something President Bush did for South Africa) if the person who has AIDS takes it as prescribed, they can actually live their normal life span. So, Living Hope has had to rebuild their whole ministry.

Instead of preparing a person to die, they are teaching people how to take the ARV correctly. They are also teaching people how to live in society with their AIDS, which they still have, without passing it on. Living Hope no longer just ministers to people who are dying, they are involved with people who will live a full life. So, support groups that used to have a natural attrition, are continuing, and they are having to add more and more. That means more leaders, more training, and longer connection with seriously ill, contagious people. Education is the key here and they are now having to teach prevention and protection from other chronic diseases as they live with their AIDS.

Two problems have come forth to which they are trying to respond:

1. The fear of death from AIDS is gone. So, people return to their old habits and the disease could spread. A person with AIDS is still contagious. Instead of dying, they are living and the number among us is growing. That is good news if they are responsible and manage their AIDS as they should. But, it is bad news if they don't care.

2. When a person starts using the ARV, they can get very sick. Often they quit working. By the time they feel better the job is gone and they enter the huge market of the unemployed. But, they are not going to die, they are going to live, and, they need to eat. So, they send their kids out to find food anyway they can. "Don't come back until you have something to eat!" is often the command. This is putting thousands, if not millions of 'kid's at risk'. They don't qualify as orphans, so better care is not a possibility. But often their parents just can't parent.

John thinks this is going to be the next big problem in Africa. So do I! You see children everywhere. Many are not being cared for, they are not being educated, they are not being protected. They are vulnerable children at risk...like Luciano, pictured above, 3 years old, found very ill on the street and brought to the Thomas home.

So, how is the Church going to respond to this?

Ron and Barb