EIL Intercultural Learning

How lucky so many of us are, blessed actually, to have a family who loves us - or who puts up with us at the very least ;). They look out for us, take care of us when we are sick, will be there for us even when we may not feel it - so many of us take our situations for...granted.
 
Now consider L - a (BEAUTIFUL and) very 'healthy' HIV+ 2.5 year old, according to his file; with a 'good CD4 count' and 'perfect' skin.

L's family, are not here. His mother has AIDS and is now in a clinic since she abandoned him. His father is an alcoholic who frequents Shebeens (illegal pubs) and often left L at home on his own and was deemed an unfit guardian. An aunt has recently been tracked down (July 27th) in the Eastern Cape. He was in fact well enough to go home to them, that is until he contracted TB* (tuberculosis) in ThembaCare.

The fear for L right now is that his TB is drug resistant which means he will be moved to a special clinic (Brooklyn Chest Hospital in Milnerton) for two years. ANOTHER two years without ANYONE to teach him all of the things that committed parents teach their children and to love him unconditionally. For every month a child spends in a care setting, his/her development is set back by three months. 

L is in a public hospital (Red Cross Children's Hospital) just outside of Cape Town and if you thought Irish hospitals were dirty - think again :(. He has been there for over a week and so far - and most definitely for the duration of his time there - Ciara and myself will be his only visitors. Two white people from thousands of miles away.

- In Africa there are 13 million AIDS orphans. "A generation of human beings who have never known a mother's loving cuddle or a father's guiding hand. These children will learn life skills in institutions rather than imbibe them from their parents." Richard Dowden - AFRICA: Altered States, Ordinary Miracles.

 *Quick Lesson:
Interaction of TB and HIV and AIDS

•     TB is the most common disease and the leading cause of death in people living with HIV & AIDS.
•     It is caused by mycobacterium tuberculosis, also known as TB bacilli.
•     HIV, by attacking the immune system, makes a person who is infected with TB bacilli more likely to get sick with TB.
•     TB can occur at any time, but often occurs early in the course of HIV disease.
•     TB probably accelerates the progression of HIV disease.
•     In the absence of HIV infection, only about 10% of people infected with TB bacilli get sick with TB during their lifetime. In people who are infected with HIV, about 50% may get sick with TB.
•     About 40% of TB patients in South Africa are infected with HIV and this proportion is increasing rapidly.
•     TB can be prevented in people living with HIV and AIDS using isoniazid prophylaxis.
•     TB can be cured, whether a patient is infected with HIV or not, using Directly Observed Treatment, Short-Course (DOTS), with the same drugs for the same amount of time.