EIL Intercultural Learning - Nigeria-South Africa Aids awareness

Coming to the end of our South African experience

AislingEgan — Wed, 17 Aug 2011 12:46:55 +0000

As our final week here in South Africa looms, special moments and memories have already formed. After spending time with the NGO, we then moved on the HIV and AIDS Clinic, where we are volunteering now. This is a day hospital with a special ARV unit (the medication taken when you are HIV+ and your CD4 count is less than 250). The unit is divided into sections where there are doctors, counsellors, nutritionists and personal advocates. All of them are there to help and support clients who have contracted HIV. The South African health system is quite good and the government pays all medication expenses. There’s also a grant available to those who have a low CD4 count and are not earning sufficient funds to supply them with the proper foods like fruit, vegetables and porridge in order to make them strong and healthy again. Being white in the area we’re placed in, it’s automatically assumed you’re a medical student in the hospital and walking through many will greet you as ‘hey doctor!’. I was a little overwhelmed by this at first but then I was given the opportunity to work quite a bit with the counsellors. Here we’d take a pill count and make sure the client was taking the medication properly along with asking question about contraception, family planning and T.B. symptoms.

The day I found most rewarding was on Fridays as this is where paediatricians came in and let the day be solely designated to children. What I found difficult here was watching how the mothers felt about having to explain to their child that they were HIV+ as most of the children didn’t know what their medication was for. A lot of the mothers were afraid their child would tell others about their status and the stigma that is still in many places attached to the virus. A doctor from outside the clinic explained to me in the bigger hospitals they provide support groups so they have teenage groups where they find comfort in knowing they’re not alone to a women’s group where they take on crafts like beading etc. We also sat in on the maternity ward one week where we even got to see a baby been born! In the maternity ward, it’s the law that the mother must be tested for HIV when she first comes to the clinic and then when she is 32 weeks pregnant. In one case, the mother first came back negative and at 32 weeks she was positive. You could see the shock and disbelief in her face and it was times like these that I felt both compassion and helplessness to the cause. My time at this clinic has thought me more than I could ever have imagined about HIV and AIDS and for that I am grateful.

For Women’s Day, we gathered with the women from the support groups in our original project to celebrate. The women wore African dress and there was some song, dance and even some massages. It was a true reflection of the strength in women and how they are progressing in a country that is still very male dominant. We’ve even been given the opportunity to visit a juvenile prison on Tuesday evenings where a local church group visit these boys and give them hope. It’s a favourite part of our week as the group have everyone out by the end of it, singing and dancing. It’s a time when you see these young boys flourishing and the amount of positive potential they have within them. It’s moments like these that you discover how volunteering is the most gratifying, testing and stimulating experience. There are days when you question your role and the level of contribution you are making but then some little peak of goodness shines through and cancels out those doubts. Volunteering here in South Africa has opened my eyes in so many ways. I now feel as though I am a basket of knowledge when it comes to HIV and AIDS and I honestly look forward to going home and sharing this information with people in Ireland. From a personal point of view, volunteering has given me a clear focus and direction and I feel as though I’ve learnt a lot about myself along the way as well the cause.

My experience in a HIV and AIDS clinic

Danielle-RP — Sun, 07 Aug 2011 08:27:23 +0000

Today felt like an “Irish Day” here in South Africa as the sky clouded over with grey mist and heavy rainfall. However, this rainfall was a blessing for the South Africans as it allowed the reservoirs and lakes to fill with fresh water to prepare for the annual drought of the Summer to follow. People seemed quite happy with the change in the weather pattern from the last month of blistering sun and dry earth to a more damp, wet and cold atmosphere. So, it was all raincoats, hats and scarves for Aisling and myself as we plodded our way through the puddle filled streets of Mitchels Plain, a small town on the outskirts of Cape Town. We have changed placements and for the last two weeks Aisling and I have been working in a HIV and AIDS clinic in a public hospital. The hospital lies in the centre of the town of Mitchels Plain and has a constant flow of patients, so the staff are always kept extremely busy. Due to the fact that it is a public hospital, the services are free to patients. One of the biggest squatter townships in South Africa, Kayalicha, is situated only a couple of kilometres from the hospital so the majority of the patients who attend the hospital are from this township, but many are from Mitchels Plain also. The HIV and AIDS clinic is funded and staffed by the NGO YMCA, a community development organisation. The clinic itself focuses on three area’s – HIV testing, counselling and medical treatment with the prescription of ARV’s (Anti Retro Virals – the prescription drugs which suppress HIV for a limited time depending on the patients health). The clinic caters for both adults and children. According to the doctors the majority of adult patients in the clinic are female rather than male as it is thought that the females are more willing to get tested and feel more comfortable to discuss their status. The number of children who attend the clinic are equally male and female. There are three testing rooms in the hospital, two in the clinic and one in the maternity ward. The rooms in the clinic are open to anyone who wishes to know their status, while the testing room in the maternity ward are for pregnant woman only who must take a HIV test before they receive their initial pregnancy medical check up from the maternity ward. Many of these woman have no idea they are HIV positive and would have never gone for the test had it not been the regulations of the ward to test all pregnant women who want to receive free maternity care. The clinic feels that this rule is one of the only ways many pregnant women will get tested for HIV and become aware of the fact that they must take the appropriate PMTCT (prevent mother to child transmission) treatment in order to stop HIV being passed on from mother to child during pregnancy if they test positive for the virus. The other two testing rooms in the hospital are open to anyone who wishes to get tested. There are many times when the counsellors who carry out the HIV testing would roam the corridors of the hospital asking random patients if they would like to avail of a free 10 minute HIV test. Some patients take advantage of the free test but there are still a lot of people who refuse as they feel the reality of knowing one’s status is a fearful thing. TB is rampant in the hospital as the majority of the patients come from extremely disadvantaged backgrounds where hygiene is very poor. This is incredibly dangerous for the HIV patients as the risk of contracting TB if one is HIV positive is very high. Therefore, all the staff and patients are required to wear a mask at all times to avoid passing on TB to others if infected and for those who aren’t they must wear the mask to avoid contracting it. In most cases it is TB that causes death to HIV patients. There is free treatment for TB in the hospital but at times the illness is so far gone without treatment there is little the doctors can do to cure it. It is since I have been working in the clinic that I have come to realise just how prevalent HIV is in South Africa. The Clinics waiting rooms and corridors are over crowded everyday as the patients wait from as early as 5am to receive their ARV medication and emotional support from the counsellors. The shocking thing is that this is just one clinic in one town. According to the national statistics, one in seven people live with HIV in South Africa. However, these are just the statistics based on those who get tested, if one were to include those who do not get tested and live with HIV unknowingly, the number would be more like one in four. The main way the virus is contracted with the patients in the clinic is through unprotected sexual intercourse. However, there are many patients who contract HIV with the sharing of needles through substance abuse, blood to blood contact through open wounds and many females become infected from being the victims of rape. Most of the children all contracted the virus from their mother during pregnancy or breastfeeding. Therefore, there are many instances where there is more than one family member living with the virus in one house as both parent and child are infected. While working in the clinic I have met many mothers who find the aspect of telling their child that they are HIV positive just as tragic as discovering their child’s status for the first time. One mother burst into tears today as she described that she had managed to distract her daughter from finding out she was HIV positive for as long as she could, but now that the child is ten years old, she has come to the age where she is beginning to question why she must take pills everyday and why she must visit the clinic with her mother every month. The mother explained to me that she was distraught when she found out her daughter was HIV positive, it took her a long time to come to terms with it. Now, she must go through the whole process again, as she this time it is the daughter who will go through the trauma of the discovery of her illness. Not only must she inform her daughter of the horrific implications of living with HIV, she must also explain to her how she contracted it, which can often cause rifts between parent and daughter as the child may blame them for her illness. She expressed the fear of letting others know of her daughter’s status as the stigma attached to HIV is awful and many fear being rejected by family and friends. The mother stated that she must emphasis to her daughter the importance of keeping her illness a secret, which is another strain for the daughter. This mothers pain and worries mirror many of the other parents hardship of raising a child who is HIV positive in South Africa.

From Touchdown to Today! Time is just flying on an amazing experience!!

Ceire — Wed, 03 Aug 2011 08:47:13 +0000

Apologies for my delay in this blog! It's all thanks to a dibble of malaria and 5 million lost blogs in one dodgy internet cafe!!

Landing in Lagos came as a thud of reality! All the preparation, the training days, the last minute scurring for the things you need (because you need 2 months supply of shampoo, Nigeria would never have that!), the goodbyes and that god forsaking packing of the 100 litre travel bag you invested in that certainly doesn’t hold 10 litres, let alone 100, is over and done with!! From getting the fantastic news that I was being given the chance to go on the EIL GAP 2011 HIV/AIDS Awareness Programme to Africa in May, up to that departure date of July 5th had all been a crazy blur and a furry of activity that I suppose I never thought would end! But it had, and here we were, slap bang in the middle of Lagos International Airport!! Bags, tired heads and pasty skin! No amount of San Tropez could disguise us now!!

Lagos at night would make Dublin’s M50 on a Friday evening look like paradise! The beeping of horns, the wafting smell of petrol and the literal bumper to bumper traffic greeted us at the arrivals door! It wasn’t difficult for our local coordinator to locate us among the crowd! All he had to was follow the looks, the whispers and the exaggerated Irish accents trying to say hello! As Ademola bundled us into the car there was certainly no going back now, we had landed! Excitement, nerves and the buzzing mosquitoes outside the window filled our heads for the night!

The following morning started our journey to Ibadan where we would stay till Sunday, giving the jet lag and the culture shock time to subside! The two hour drive to Ibadan gave me my first taste of African culture and way of life. The roadside markets, the children selling produce to passing cars, the women cooking the things that I would probably eat, try, like and pass on over the next 2 months. The heat and the humidity would give any ghd a run on its guarantee and ‘Sure’ deodorant most certainly lets you down in 30 degrees of heat! Ibadan greeted us like Lagos had, only this time we could see our surroundings!! The only way I can describe the traffic and driving in Nigeria is like an ultimate game of bumper cars at the funfair!! That feeling you get when you are in the bumper car with your brother and out of the corner of your eye you can see your Dad, hovering up the side, you close your eyes and tense, knowing what’s probably on the way! Put that scenario into reality and you have your guide to ‘Driving in Nigeria’.

Having read about the driving and bad road conditions in Nigeria before I left I thought I had myself prepared for the mayhem, but this was crazy! Indicators are only an extra commodity and mirrors only exist if the car carries its own supply of masking tape!! The NCT would clean up over here and the Garda Traffic Core have a field day! But for me it all added to the experience, the excitement and the new culture. But as we drove into Ibadan, home didn’t seem so far away anymore as to my left the Tipperary Jersey in its blue and gold beamed out at me! It made my day to know that even in Nigeria the Premier County was represented!

Our week in Ibadan involved orientation which gave us the chance to settle in, get to know their way of life, learn the currency and pick up some of the Yoruba language. It gave us a chance to learn about their culture, their political upheaval and corruption, both in the past and presently and the huge part which religion plays in their daily lives. Ibadan allowed us to sneak in some sight seeing of the Bower Tower, a view of the city and a look into the King’s Palace. We got the opportunity to visit a Mosque and for me to learn about different religions and peoples beliefs and ways of life which I found so intriguing. I got to experience my first African mass and it would make the most uptight Irish individual want to bust a move or two! The colours’ and the outfits, song and dance were amazing! Myself and Aine found a new friend in Mr. PI the Rat and laughed underneath the mosquito nets. I conquered my first ‘amhala’, and the spices had me ensuring that I didn’t return for seconds! Ibadan gave us time to adjust which was great. What I took most from my first few steps in Nigeria was the friendliness and the warmth of the people. The children ran to shake your hand or just touch your skin, many had never seen a white person before or an ‘Oyinbo’ as we are more often referred to! No matter the difficulties and problems that the communities and people were facing they still had a smile on their face for you, they still wanted to dance, sing and shake your hand and welcome you to their home. The pride in their culture and their want to share it and have you experience it was clear to be seen and felt. If Ireland could only adopt a fraction of this positive attitude, belief and warmth then we all might realise that we don’t have it anything as bad as we think we do.

Sunday morning, Munster Final day at home and time to head for Ilesha to begin with my new project! We were excited and apprehensive at the same time! Bags packed and the Tipperary jersey on, we hit the lunancy stream which Nigeria call ‘roads’. Arriving in Ilesha gave a some what sense of calm compared to Ibadan and by feeling this we knew we were settling into Nigerian culture. We met our host families and started to settle in to our environment for the next 7 weeks! My pastor host dad meant no escaping service every Sunday and my host mum a doctor meant no illness was a worry!! And their 3 little boys would keep me entertained and me to them with the bowling set I brought! I looked forward to getting to know them and spend the next 7 weeks soaking up every aspect of their life and culture.

Unfortunately, due to unforeseen circumstances, myself and Aine didn’t get to experience the new project together. Aine you are most certainly one of the most intelligent and inspiring people I have met and above everything it was a pleasure to get to know you over the time we had in Nigeria together! An individual that had so much to offer to this programme but whether it was to be here or in Dublin you will still give all you have. You took the Chinese Hamsters in your stride and for that I am ever so thankful! By the way Aine I located those Plantain Chips and because of you KLM better have two plane seats for me at the end of Aug! xxx

So it’s the beginning of week 5 already and the time in Ilesha is flying! The old saying certainly rings true at a time like this… ‘Time flies when your enjoying your experience and do a Cheryl Cole on it with a lash of malaria!!’ The work the organization is fantastic as well as that of their community partners which I have got to experience as my host family are the founders. The project I volunteer with is a non governmental organization founded in 1994. Their goal and vision is to provide holistic care and support for people living with HIV/AIDS and their families including vulnerable and orphaned children, and also to educate the community at large on the broader issues of HIV/AIDS and reproductive health in Nigeria. The organization also encorporates education and support on TB and malaria issues so prevalent to Nigeria and often detrimental to the life of a HIV client if contracted. It has 20 members of staff, 28 community care workers and 132 unpaid volunteers within various communities. They are an organization making a huge impact, striving for change and going from strength to strength. The executive director, Mrs Fakande is an amazing lady, an inspiration with the work she has done, is planning to do and in the huge level of respect and esteem in which she is held in by everyone. The staff here have been nothing more than amazing and taken me under their wing to allow me experience all I can and educate me on the issues gripping their nation.

To try and sum up everything I have so far experienced and witnessed would be impossible but one can only try. From speaking with people living with HIV, HIV testing and counseling, home visits of orphaned and vulnerable children (OVC), accompanying people to collect their drugs in Ibadan to eating goat, being the only white donkey trying to dance at a funeral and trying palm wine. I have had my challenges, my moments of debate and the times when I want to bang my head against a wall in frustration. I have seen the painful family and children situations and the ones where there is nothing I can do. I have cried and bitten my tongue in anger. It has just about killed me as a nurse to see hospitals on strike, lack of care, treatment and no medication. But these are the times then the training of EIL back in Cork rings true…… the need for adaptability. It may have seemed an understood characteristic to have when applying for such a programme but no one can every truly know how adaptable they are until it is put to the test.

I have taken it in my stride and adapted to many situations like no water, no electricity and the non existence of toilet paper!! There are other things that are much more difficult to even consider adapting too but these are often things in government and culture that the means of change are beyond my control. Unless they want to make me governor that is!!

But these experiences and challenges are what make us strive for better and aim to do all we can to help those that are less fortunate and I am most certainly a better person for experiencing them. My eyes have been opened to many things and difficult as they are, they have me made me appreciate what I have been blessed with and thankful for the ability to come and make a change, no matter how big or small it may be.

The stigma of HIV/AIDS in Nigeria has been evident since I came. Only recently when I travelled to Ibadan with the clients to collect their ART, I spoke to a lady who had come from Abuja, nearly 6 hours away, to Ilesha to get another 2 hour journey to collect her medication in Ibadan, just so her family and neighbours would not know her status. Police men who stop the bus wondering where we are going or what work we are doing, quickly wave us on when the words HIV/AIDS are mentioned. Stigma is the huge milestone that every nation will need to cross before HIV/AIDS can be adequately dealt with, treated and its prevalence minimized.

Being part of the OVC assessment programme was great to see their work but difficult on the heart strings. While people aim to do their best and the organization arrange support, there are still so many families not reached or worse yet refusing the help offered. Children are subject to difficult situations and hard work. Remember the time when you were 10 years old, what were we doing? On summer holidays probably, playing with our friends, going on trips, buying our new school books for Sept. Now be a 10 year old in Nigeria. Your lucky if you even go to school, your early mornings are on the farm trying to get enough produce to sell that day, just to make sure that you and your family can eat that night. The days are spent walking the streets trying to sell and make what you can and it all happens again the following morning. Life is one tough continuous circle for the majority of children in Nigeria. The divide between poverty and wealth is easy to see, and something which the government unfortunately brush under the carpet. Being at a party celebration and to look to your side and see about 10 children waiting to see what you would leave on your plate that they could fill their empty bellies with was heartbreaking, and often my rice and chicken was purposely not eaten, knowing that I could most certainly do without the extra calories, but for them they could not.

Witnessing a programme with the physically challenged was one of the hardest aspects so far for me. To see individuals without wheelchair’s, with simple minor deformities that surgery could easily correct and no choice only to sit and beg was heartbreaking. Physically or mentally challenged individuals in Nigeria are not automatically entitled to any benefits. No rehab, no physio, no assistance. For them it’s their own hard luck they were born this way and they need to survive how best they can. While NGO’S are working towards better care and opportunities for this group, there is still so much that can be done.

At present at the project, my university days of my final year project are coming back to haunt me for data collection and the combined efforts of the HIV department to submit a proposal to Sidaction to ensure funding for the project for the next 3 years for different programmes and projects. The dreaded days of objectives and methodology have come back to haunt me! Is great to be a part of the project to ensure that their great work can continue!

Being able to put some of my own ideas into play has been great and so many ideas and things I would love to do has me frustrated to pick the one that’s most achievable and beneficial. Being given the chance and the invite to attend Ilesha university to take part in a youth environmental campaign was great to witness the work in different areas by other groups. But I had one alterative motive in mind….. going on the project gave me access to the group head and a chance to arrange a sensitization programme on HIV/AIDS for university students! Bingo! And am now in the process of organizing same!

This week so far has allowed me to see the HIV/AIDS setup within Nigeria prison outreach and be involved in education of the sex workers within brothels. While my dream would be to empower them outside of this trade altogether, some refuse to leave, so empowering them to protect themselves and be aware of HIV at least leaves me with some satisfaction. I hope that I can leave my mark in Nigeria in some way and leave the project knowing that I have done my best, shared new ideas, worked hard, developed new projects and even made an impact in the lives of people.

Culturally the African food will ensure that the airline charges me for excess weight, and that certainly won’t be my bags! There isn’t anything I haven’t tried and as my motto goes, ‘try it once, if you don’t like it then don’t try it a second time!’ I have gotten to travel to Niger state, 12 hours journey on a bus bounding into potholes and stopping to change the burst tyre. Me and Cherly Cole now have something in common….. Malaria! Although I didn’t have Derek waiting for me at the end of it!! Walking down the street at any time, day or night, you feel like some sort of a celebrity with people calling ‘Oynibo’, waving and coming to shake your hand! Britney Spears eat your heart out!! Myself, a motorbike and a chicken have had a strange encounter! My flat Tipp/mix Cork accent has enlightened Nigerian Radio and my mug slapped across Nigeria’s Channel 5! Being the only white person within a good 500 mile radius makes attention unavoidable, aint no blending in here! I don’t know if the sun is making me blacker or if one told me I look like Eminem before, but being asked to be in two different Nigerian hip hop videos makes one question things!

While some things are hard and aspects frustrating, the experience for me so far has been amazing. I am thoroughly enjoying every aspect of life, culture and the work of the organization. It is certainly an experience of a lifetime and can only lead to better things and positive outcomes for the future. The knowledge and opportunities I have received have enlightened me in so many aspects that I will be forever grateful.

However, should I not return the end of August I urge everyone to keep an eye on MTV!!! Or else on the news, Nigeria International Bank was robbed today, bombing and all!! Crazy stuff but right up my alley!! This kinda stuff couldn’t be made up!!!

Ciara! xx

First three weeks!

Danielle-RP — Mon, 25 Jul 2011 07:35:21 +0000

It is hard to believe that three weeks has passed by already! While there are times when it feels like both Aisling and I have been here for much longer, there are other moments when it feels like each day passes us by so quickly.

For the past three weeks we have been working with an organisation called Sothemba AIDS Action, which focuses on raising awareness of HIV & AIDS in Cape Town. It is a small organisation based in the suburbs of Bellville just outside of the city in Cape Town. It consists of three full time staff and seven part time staff.

The areas that we have been working with Sothemba Aids Action are: local squatter townships, a nearby psychiatric hospital and local education programmes.

We work with both adults and youths in the local squatter townships. Each awareness programme is different as there are days when Sothemba AIDS Action would run awareness workshops for adults in the local crèche in the squatter township and then other days would consist of awareness games with the youths. The people who we have met in these town lands are all so welcoming and warm towards Aisling, and myself as they are all interested in where we are from and why we are in South Africa. The children are so enthusiastic and fun loving as they run towards us when we arrive, all eager to start playing games immediately! The main challenge we face in terms of the awareness workshops is that many people are disinterested in learning about HIV and AIDS. One woman replied to me when I asked her if she would like to come to an awareness workshop, “ It is better not to know about HIV and better not to know if you are infected”. This is a constant struggle for the organisation as even though they offer free awareness programmes they struggle to keep the numbers in attendance from the public. This has lead them to believe that they must offer a reward to those who do come to the workshops so as to keep the number of people involved as high as possible. Therefore, if people do come to the workshop, Sothemba AIDS Action will provide them with either a hot meal, sandwiches, fruit and a drink. There are times when this is the only reason why many people come to the workshops in the first place. However, there are a few who do come to the workshops to learn more about HIV and AIDS.

On Tuesday and Thursday mornings provide HIV and AIDS awareness talks to the patients of Stickland Psychiatric Hospital in Bellville. This is a free hospital service offered by the South African government, which aims to care for patients who suffer from various mental illnesses ranging from mild to severe depression, anxiety, schizophrenia and a range of other illnesses, which I have not been informed of. There are ten wards, which cater for different patients depending on the severity of there illness. Each talk we provide lasts for an hour and depending on the ward, it can be at times successful and at times not so much. The patients can be very nice but there are many who are so mentally ill that we must be careful how we approach them. Each ward consists of about 20+ patients with guards who keep all doors locked at all times. We are instructed by hospital staff not to allow the male patients to touch us in any way, as their personal hygiene is very poor. I find this very difficult to follow up as I feel extremely rude ignoring their welcoming gesture of a handshake or high five, but it is a rule that I must obey. We incorporate many songs and dances into each talk, which is always a great success with the patients as they are always so enthusiastic in partaking in any type of fun!

After-school awareness programmes are generally held in local libraries with local youths from the community. All these youths come from disadvantaged backgrounds and their age’s range from 3-16. The awareness programme consists of an educational drama or story, which incorporates the issues of HIV & AIDS, followed by various games and activities. The challenge of keeping interest towards the awareness of HIV & AIDS is evident here as well as the squatter town lands as many of the youths will not participate if there is no reward for their attendance at the end. Fruit, sandwiches and a drink are offered at the end of each programme to those who attend.

I am beginning to discover that raising awareness of HIV & AIDS in South Africa is not just as simple as providing more awareness workshops to the communities. While these workshops do provide some awareness to many people, there are also many people who refuse to listen or be educated about the issues. At times I feel that the importance of general health awareness is not a priority for many people also.

First three weeks!

Danielle-RP — Mon, 25 Jul 2011 07:35:16 +0000

The areas that we have been working with Sothemba Aids Action are: local squatter townships, a nearby psychiatric hospital and local education programmes.

Week One: Orientation in Ibadan

Aine Carroll — Sat, 09 Jul 2011 09:45:51 +0000

Hi folks, just wanted to give a quick update on how myself and Ciara are getting on in Nigeria, almost a week in. We have just finished orientation with SYTO Nigeria in Ibadan and we have settled in nicely to the pace of life here. So much to see and do and think about - Nigeria is an unbelievably diverse, complex and friendly place. Yesterday we were taken to the mosque by our guide who is a Muslim and we prayed with the congregation, having done the ritual washing before we entered the place of worship. It was a fabulous experience covering my head and body for a little while and a window onto another world. A really stunning experience. The Imam even gave us a translated copy of the Koran to compare with the Bible! People here are very kind and will always find a way to help you if they can. Everywhere we go people are interested to talk to us and find out what we are doing here and when we mention that we are volunteers working on a HIV & AIDS project we have so far gotten a positive response. There is a lot of awareness raising done here in Nigeria with billboards and posters warning people of the dangers of unprotected sex, with a strong emphasis on abstaining from sex before marriage. I am learning that they place a lot of value on religion, marriage and children here which is good to know before we start working on placement in Living Hope Care.Its still the first week so Im sure there will be plenty more to learn over the next seven weeks, and I will be sure to keep you all updated. Looking forward to getting stuck into work at Ilesha. You'll be hearing more from me soon...Aine

1) Pre-Departure - GAP volunteer: Aisling Egan

AislingEgan — Fri, 01 Jul 2011 14:36:56 +0000

I still find it crazy to think I am one of the four taking part in the Global Awareness Programme yet here I am packing the last of my bits and pieces and saying goodbyes. Winning this award has already had such an amazing positive impact on me. Danielle and I are going to South Africa while Aine and Ciara will be taking on Nigeria.

In the first leg of the programme, EIL prepared us for what was ahead. We had a wonderfully informative time at the Dtalk on Understanding HIV in Development and Community Responses to HIV. This was a massive aid to me as entering in on the programme, I had very little comprehension on HIV and AIDS and here we were given the opportunity to hear first hand experience and a time where people could share their stories. Next came our time in Comhlamh where we got to learn the importance of raising awareness and ways to campaign and approach the media. This generated much ideas and started to get us thinking how each one of us could try make even the smallest bit of a difference in our campaign. After this, we had what I found to be the most moving part of in the start of our journey and that was getting to visit Open Heart House. I actually can't praise this establishment enough, each person we came across was an inspiration and so willing to share. It made everything more real and opened us up to really consider each of the 6900 people living with HIV in Ireland. Then we joined other volunteers for a pre-departure workshop where EIL members gave us an insight on what to expect, how to deal with culture shock and useful things like that. It was lovely to meet other volunteers with similar interests and get to know them through role plays and other team exercises that EIL had laid out for us.
I haven't even left yet and I already feel like I am after getting so much out of this. To anyone considering volunteering, or applying for a travel award, I can't stress enough how much you should just go for it with a "carpe diem" attitude. I am a litttle nervous but incredibly excited as to what South Africa has in store for me but one thing is for sure and that's how much I will be making the most of each day during my two months over there.
Totsiens,

Aisling

Pre-Departure Thoughts

Danielle-RP — Thu, 30 Jun 2011 09:05:26 +0000

In two days time I will leave for South Africa to volunteer with EIL as part of their Global Awareness Programme in Cape Town. I am extremely humbled by the fact that EIL Ireland offered me the opportunity to work with their partner organisations in South Africa who aim to raise awareness of HIV & AIDS with both youths and adults. I am really looking forward to working with these organisations and I am also very enthusiastic at the prospect of being able to learn more about the issues of HIV & AIDS in South Africa and in Ireland also.

As part of the programme I will be working with three other Volunteers, two will work in Nigeria - Ciara and Áine, and I will be working with one other volunteer in South Africa -Aisling. Meeting these other volunteers gave me great confidence in this year's programme. I know that with their determination, diligence and enthusiasm, together we can work successfully with EIL's Partner organistions in raising Awareness of HIV & AIDS while on placement, while also creating an effective awareness campaign surrounding the issues when on our return to Ireland.

The training and support provided by EIL thus far has been constant from the beginning. We have had seminars and training days surrounding the global issues of HIV & AIDS over the last two months with various groups and speakers. The Issues of HIV & AIDS in the Community setting run by D-Talk was an incredibly awakening experience as this was my initial introduction to the actual impact of HIV & AIDS in the world. I left this training day with a lot of my questions answered but also left with many questions raised as I began to come to terms with the fact that the issue of HIV & AIDS was much more complex than I had imagined. This provided me with the yearning to research and learn more about the issues raised as I became increasingly aware of my own lack of knowledge, and perhaps ignorance, of HIV & AIDS.

We also had seminar with Cómhlámh in Dublin which provided some insight to into effective campaign plans. The most memorable aspect of my training was our visit to the Open Heart House in Dublin. It was here that I was welcomed to meet those living with HIV & AIDS in Ireland. This awakened my senses in a way that allowed me the insight and understanding of the strength, determination, love, warmth and pure acceptance that goes with the suffering of living with HIV & AIDS.

Tomorrow I will pack my bags and Leave for the first leg of my journey to South Africa. I am excited, eager, nervous, determined and confident all at the same time. I feel very passionate about this programme and I look forward to working with it in South Africa.

Global Awareness Pre Departure: why I can't stop pinching myself...

Aine Carroll — Tue, 28 Jun 2011 11:40:17 +0000

This is my first blogpost ever, one of the many new things I am learning thanks to winning a travel award from EIL. Just one more week now before I depart for Nigeria to complete the second leg of the programme, having just completed the first. I am nervous and excited in equally healthy doses and can't help but feel compelled and inspired by the work that EIL have put into developing this incredible programme - the Global Awareness Programme. Myself, Ciara, Aisling and Danielle are the lucky Global Awareness volunteers 2011 and I'm delighted to be sharing this experience with these enthusiastic, interesting, and kind people. The training period was a great way of getting to know each other and of getting to know the issues around HIV & AIDS. The quality of the training and facilitation throughout the whole process has been outstanding - from the pre-departure workshop, to the media and awareness training at Comhlamh, to the introduction to HIV & AIDS in Development with Dtalk, and the half-day training at Open Heart House, each component has shown a different dimension to the causes, outcomes, and possible solution options around HIV & AIDS. The pre-departure workshop was great craic and really informative. Meeting people like us who were heading off on their travels and returned volunteers was a great opportunity to dispel any nerves and to ask any lurking silly questions that we might have about our unfamiliar destinations. Comhlamh aswell was a window onto the campaigning world and an opportunity to see that when people are well-organised, committed and supportive of each other, anything can happen. I now know that awareness raising is an essential tool for inspiring popular support for political action, which is ultimately what I believe achieving equality is all about.

At Dtalk, we learned about some important nuances that can affect the spread and impact of the disease including gender, development, poverty, sexuality & drug use. We also learned that some sub-Saharan states (e.g. Zambia and Uganda) are 'mainstreaming' gender and HIV & AIDS, meaning that these issues are currently being woven into every aspect of governmental policy and activity, which I found very encouraging. What stood out for me though was how stigma can add unnecessary suffering to a person's life. It's funny how little we question our own prejudices that pop in to the mind unannounced at various stages throughout a persons life, or even just throughout their day. Judging people it seems is a way of life, an instinct, a reflex, and reflexes can be hard to unlearn. Dtalk provided us with the opportunity to begin to unravel our own prejudices, to recognise them, to question them, and ultimately to discard them.

And for anybody interested, the global meets the local at the top of Parnell Square, St. Mary's Place, Dublin 2. Here at Open Heart House, we learned some of the more human and moving dimensions of living with the disease including hope, solidarity, wamth, welcome and acceptance. It sort of knocked my understanding of HIV & AIDS out of it's comfort zone as I am beginning to recognise it as not just something that governments and NGOs talk about, nor is it specifically a problem in a 'development' context either: it is something that affects people's lives in multiple ways on a daily basis right here Ireland, probably in your neighbourhood, or else not too far from that. It is organisations like Open Heart House that provide essential, frontline support to people affected by the disease and I was blown away by the kindness and sensitivity I found there. I will carry this feeling of warmt, welcome and acceptance on my journey with me to Nigeria and beyond.

I have a suspicion that the training was carefully organised to deliver just this precise impact, another reason why I can't recommend EIL highly enough. They haven't asked me to say any of this, but so far every aspect of the programme has been absolutely spot on. It is not only a fantastic opportunity or an amazing experience, but a privilege to be taking part. If you feel you have something to learn and something to contribute, and if you are reading this and wondering whether or not to apply for the Global Awarenss Programme, or any other EIL opportunity, DO IT.

You'll be hearing more from the Global Awareness Team 2011 in the future, wish us
luck!

Áine

Global Awareness Programme: my experience

Gill Carter — Wed, 16 Feb 2011 17:17:55 +0000

I was delighted when I found out that I had successfully secured a position on the Global Awareness Programme with EIL. It was the only travel award that I had applied to and had felt really passionate about all the component of the award. I was excited about going away for eight weeks to South Africa and I knew working in a HIV respite centre and living in a township would open my eyes to various issues and allow me too consider a new culture and way of living. I was apprehensive about a number of things, and my emotions were spontaneous varying from excitement to anxiety of the unknown. It was a thrill to feel I was entering the unknown and to learn about issues and topic I had never before even considered. My eight weeks in South Africa were truly eye opening; I realized what a beautiful country it was, in both the sense of geography, culture and society. I was working in a respite centre and my duties varied from day to day. Some days I was helping the patients, attending support groups, visiting hospitals and clinics, liaising with NGO’s or organising HIV awareness presentations and more! Every day was different and every day was new. The training and information given to me by EIL before my departure was great and really informed me on important issues so I felt reassured and relatively knowledgeable for when I arrived.

The beautiful thing about the Global Awareness Programme is that when you come home your experience does not end, the campaign that is attached to this travel award is great. It really allowed me to get thinking about what I wanted to convey to the Irish public and what I wanted to share about my trip abroad. As part of the campaign I have done a wide range of things varying from writing articles for my University magazine to making an awareness video. As part of the campaign, the four Global Awareness Participants have collected their photos together and made a photo exhibition which has toured the country at this stage! I have also tried to make HIV an important issue on campus in my university, and so; I put together ‘UCC HIV Awareness Week’. For the Awareness week I collaborated with various other related societies such as; SUAS, Atheist Society, Microbiology Society, Film Society and Slainte to hold a rang of talks, information stalls and fundraisers such ‘UCC’s Got Talent’ which was held on World AID’s Day in December and which raised just under €1,000 for two HIV related charities. My awareness campaign is not over yet! I still plan on visiting some secondary schools to give some presentations on my experience and I’m very keen to get involved in more work with EIL in the future!

Global Awareness Volunteers 2010

Piers Meynell — Fri, 19 Nov 2010 15:54:45 +0000

Volunteer Abroad

Nigeria

South Africa

Development Education

Global Awareness Programme

Travel Awards

Nigeria-South Africa Aids awareness

About EIL

Description:

The EIL Global Awareness Programme is an exciting training, volunteering and awareness programme focussing on HIV&AIDS. Each year 4 people are chosen to participate on this partially funded programme. Maeve, Emily, Gill and Paul took part to the 2010 Global Awareness Programme. As part of the programme, they received a training on “Understanding HIV in Development” as well as a training on Media and Campaigning skills. They volunteered for 8 weeks with a local project in Nigeria and South Africa working with people living with HIV&AIDS.

hiv & aids

Global Awareness Programme

EIL volunteer abroad

Nigeria

South Africa

Access to antiretroviral medication: the hard reality

emily_pemily7 — Thu, 23 Sep 2010 14:02:26 +0000

Prior to my departure I felt that I was very well prepared for working on a HIV and AIDS project, due to support and training given by EIL.

To prepare for volunteering in a local project in Nigeria, I attended training on "Understanding HIV in development and community responses" which gave me an interesting overview into the AIDS epidemic. I learned that HIV stands for Human Immunodeficiency and is a virus that results in the progressive deterioration of the immune system. AIDS stands for Acquired Immuno Deficiency Syndrome. A person is diagnosed with AIDS when their immune system is too weak to fight off infections. Being HIV-positive, or having HIV disease, is not the same as having AIDS. Many people are HIV-positive but don't get sick for many years. As HIV disease continues, it slowly wears down the immune system.

Without treatment, two-thirds of adults infected with HIV are likely to develop AIDS within ten years of being exposed to HIV. Unfortunately, in Nigeria this period is much shorter as people are exposed to tuberculosis and parasitic diseases such as malaria. Sadly, it also takes HIV to develop to AIDS is also shorter for children born with the virus.

HIV is found in many body fluids, including blood, semen, vaginal fluids (including menstrual blood) and breast milk. HIV transmission occurs when a sufficient quantity of these fluids get into someone else’s bloodstream. There are various ways a person can become infected with HIV. It is vital that everyone takes precautions to know their HIV status and to protect themselves and others from this virus. The only reliable way to discover if you are HIV positive is to get a blood test which can detect infection from a few weeks after the virus first entered the body.

Antiretroviral medication (ARV) medication can prolong the time between HIV infection and the onset of AIDS. Unfortunately as I learned in Nigeria, these medicines are not widely available in poorer countries around the world, and millions of people who cannot access medication continue to die. I was given an opportunity to accompany some of the Living Hope Care, care receivers to a hospital an hours drive away for them to receive their ARVs, to receive check-ups and to have secondary infections such as TB treated.

On this particular day I learned the patience, strength and stamina required to access the ARVs for these people. It was necessary to travel over an hour, crammed into an old bus on treacherous roads, to reach these free services (as there was nowhere in their State which provided the drugs). Upon arriving at the hospital those with TB and other air-borne diseases were required to wait outside in the unbearable heat. While others could go inside and receive some relief from electrics fans while there was intermittent electricity. Once you begin taking ARVs it is more detrimental to your health to stop taking them, then never to take them at all.

Therefore every two weeks, regardless of how sick our clients were or other plans they had, it was necessary for them to spend an entire day travelling and waiting at the state hospital in the city of Ibadon to receive their drugs. While waiting to see the doctor, I asked a friend if I could take her photograph, after she had spoken to me about her life story. Once she said I could I took my camera out of my bag, and immediately chaos ensued. As the group of about thirty people sitting with us jumped up and ran out of view. I reassured the group that I would not take any photographs, as aside from my friend, nobody else wanted anyone to learn of their HIV status. This fear was a result of living in a community and a world, which stigmatizes those living with HIV/AIDS. This experience really struck me as a concrete example of the reluctance of people to associate themselves with HIV and AIDS due to the stigmatization and discrimination they would meet from others in their community.

Within my first week in Nigeria I rushed to a run-down maternity health clinic to administer drugs to a baby born to a mother who was HIV+. These drugs are ARV prophylaxis drugs, which means that they attempt to prevent mother to child transmission of HIV. The reason our NGO had to deliver this treatment was that the maternity clinics did not have access to the drugs as they are not provided by the State.

Therefore it was necessary to travel to a hospital in a neighbouring state to register during pregnancy to receive the drugs. Our NGO kept the drugs until the baby was delivered, as they must be stored in a fridge, something most our clients did not otherwise have access to. Therefore at nine o’clock, in the pitch black, we rushed to the hospital where a mother lay exhausted, malnourished and frantic for her baby to receive the drugs which are more effective the sooner administered. The baby had been born a few weeks premature and because of the poor conditions of the maternity clinic, was going to have to vacate the bed and building within a few hours. In Ireland, this baby would have been in an incubator, however in Nigeria it was sent away from the overcrowded and understaffed maternity clinic despite the vulnerability of this tiny premature baby.

This horrifying experience taught me that poverty leads some people to receive poor health care. I was forced to recognise that in the Global South one-third of women have HIV+ babies (UNAIDS). Sadly, it has been recorded that “An estimated one-half million mothers die from pregnancy-related causes each year; at least 8 million suffer life long health problems linked to pregnancy and childbirth.”

Worldwide it is estimated that 15 million children under 18 have been orphaned as a result of AIDS. Around 11.6 million of these children live in sub-Saharan Africa. (Population Bulletin, 2005) In Nigeria alone there were 1,200,000 children who were orphaned due to AIDS in 2007. I was given many opportunities to provide vital services to such children and of these services a ‘teens camp’ was organised to provide four days of activities, meals and accommodation to over sixty children registered with the organisation. Sadly these children need special care which is not always provided as many had limited access to education, many were being abused and or suffered psychological trauma as a result of their experience of being orphaned.

My Nigerian Experience

maevegalvin — Thu, 23 Sep 2010 09:36:55 +0000

One of the greatest and most unexpected pleasures that I have derived from my Nigerian experience has been annihilating the misguided myths that people have about the country. At the beginning of June when I told people that I was going to spend two months working on a HIV/AIDS project in Nigeria the reaction was often one of misguided admiration, why would I want to go to such a place? Jokes were made about my alleged saintly nature, concerns were raised about my safety. One rather direct friend said: “God, that sounds horrible”. Phrases such as “Most corrupt country in the world”, “kidnappings” “tribal conflicts”, “HIV pandemic” “hotbed for malaria” were frequently thrown in my direction. In all honesty I wasn’t immune to this kind of thinking. I remained driven and focused, thinking that it would serve as a productive learning experience and that it would be an endurance test, something that I had to do rather than something that I might actually enjoy. No one was more surprised than me that Nigeria turned out to be the greatest adventure and most intoxicating experience that I have had in my life to date and I have relished in telling this to anyone who will listen. I feel that I owe it to the numerous of wonderful Nigerians I met to try and bolster the purely negative image that people have about their country. All of the phrases that were thrown at me were of course true, the progress of the Nigerian people has been hampered incalculably by corruption, tribal strife, HIV/AIDS and diseases that we in the West hardly need to consider such as malaria. But this is just one part of the incredible story that is Nigeria, a story that in my short time there I barely scratched the surface of but its impact is heavily imprinted nonetheless.

Genuine adventure is something that the human soul craves. It is the reason many people read books, watch films and even play video games. As Irish people, thousands upon thousands of us, go travelling every year bankrupting ourselves on a quest to achieve that specific sense of really living rather than simply existing. I can count myself fortunate enough to have really lived in spades in the nine weeks I spent in Ilesa, South-West Nigeria volunteering for the HIV/AIDS NGO, Living Hope Care. Every day was absolutely an adventure and horrendous injustices and frustrations were an integral part of that. But so too were rich traditions, diverse cultural values, a striking green landscape and most importantly some of the most beautiful (in every respect) people I have ever been privileged to encounter.

I was an exceptionally fortunate recipient of Nigerian hospitality given that the family I was placed with genuinely treated me as one of their own. My wonderful young host mother and the remarkable nine year-old boy she takes care of provided me not just with accommodation but with a home and that made the experience all the more special for me.

The sense of community that Irish people of a certain age mourn the loss of is alive and well in Nigeria. Strangers greet each other on the street, invitations to events such as weddings and funerals are extended to even the most distant acquaintances, one could never be short of people willing to give them directions and as a foreigner, a hero’s welcome is extended to you. Colourful traditional wear, music, dancing, rich food and traffic chaos that beggars belief are all a part of everyday life in Nigeria. However, so too is crippling poverty. The sense that it is by sheer accident of birth that we are born in a western democratic developed country has never been more acute in me than it was seeing the impoverished family home of one Nigerian in particular who came to mean a great deal to me. The lack of dignity afforded to these people by their living conditions was appalling to me and yet these warm people who welcomed me as a foreign stranger into their home were shielded from the harsh reality of their situation by not knowing any alternative to their meagre living conditions.

I also had a heightened sense of the vulnerability of women. I was fortunate enough to meet a handful of formidable Nigerian women who would prove a force to be reckoned with in any cultural context. But these were genuine mavericks in a massively patriarchal society. In the HIV/AIDS context, by the sheer biology of the infection, women are three times more susceptible to it, added to that is their additional vulnerability due to lack of education, lack of economic security and greater acceptance of infidelity than in more developed countries.

A large proportion of my work in Nigeria was with female sex workers. In the Nigerian context, HIV is mostly spread through heterosexual sex thus female sex workers are the most high risk group for HIV and they are a colossal source of the virus being spread. Barefaced poverty is the fuel for Nigeria’s sex industry. The country’s unemployment rate is officially set at 20% but this figure, like most data supplied by the often corrupt government is massively disputed and understood to be around half of the real figure. Thus, the cycle of HIV is invigorated by a situation whereby a massively young population (the life expectancy in Nigeria is 57 years-old) is without work, thus young women are drawn into sex work to support themselves and have little chance of alternative employment. Young men who are idle are enticed to use sex workers who are relatively inexpensive. The average Nigerian sex worker is 26 and has a secondary school education. Of the many brothel clients I came into contact with, the majority were in their early twenties and married.

Watching a young sex worker test positive for HIV and accompanying her on the journey to wait another six or so hours for her to register as a HIV patient was excruciating. Favour was her name. Many female sex workers gave us English names which had a Christian resonance such named Blessing, Favour and Joy. Favour was every inch kindly natured and graceful, a year older than me but she had a real placid, childlike quality about her. In such circumstances you can say kind things, you can give her food and try and make her comfortable, you can give her as much information about “positive living” as possible but nothing you do can alleviate the fact that her struggle has been multiplied, she is going through the worst ordeal of an already hideous life and she has to come to terms with the fact that her existence has been dramatically cut short even by the most optimistic estimates.

Favour and I waited at the clinic outside in the clammy heat on a bench with dozens of other patients, many of which were relying solely on our NGO to provide the transport they couldn’t afford to make the two hour journey to get their drugs. As we waited she was strained and non-communicative and I made pathetic attempts at small-talk. One boy was truly frightening ill and vomiting beside us, he was so emaciated he genuinely didn’t look like a real person. The closest physical resemblance I can make is that he looked a little bit like E.T with his head too big for his tiny body to handle. He was just a limp creature waiting for his body to cave in completely. A doctor told me that the boy, who was 18 years-old had a CD4 count of just 45. A person is classed as having developed AIDS once it reaches under 200. His mother had died soon after his birth and the boy had presumably become infected at birth. People in his remote village had rejected conventional medicine, treating him only with traditional remedies. The day I saw him was his first time receiving treatment in a hospital. He had skipped the HIV diagnosis process entirely, it was too late for him to begin anti-retroviral drugs to prolong his life, he was now dying of AIDS. Looking at a person in so much obvious pain almost induces you to physically aching with shock and sympathy. The enormity of the situation is beyond the capacity of mere words. Other patients at the clinic couldn’t help but stare at him fearing that he was an indicator of their own future. Favour was incredibly shaken by him. She stared at him in horror. “Is that boy going to make it?” she asked me. What could I do? I had to tell her that no, he wasn’t.

That same day, one of my most vivid in Nigeria in the midst of tragic circumstances, I also saw a real sense of the human spirit at its best. Myself and Favour and twenty of the other PLWHA (people living with HIV/AIDS) all cramped into the NGO van that could only accommodate 16 people for our two hour journey back to Ilesa after a harrowing day spent at the clinic. Like true satirists they developed a game where we each took bets on how many police checkpoints we would encounter in our journey. In an indicator of the corruption which hampers the nation’s progress, police check points in Nigeria regularly stop and bribe motorists intimidating them with their ever-present AK 47s. But that particular day it was genuinely great fun. We laughed and mocked them incalculably. Blatant abuse of power by authorities was made a source of amusement and generated a camaraderie for a group of remarkable Nigerians who refused to be made world-weary by their unfortunate circumstances.

Mirth within misery, contrasts, contradictions and even hypocrisy were dominant themes of my experience. In the midst of extreme poverty, I also witnessed great wealth and excess in Nigeria. I spent time in a family home of a chief that can best be described as palatial and was situated on a street in the midst of other family homes which can only be described as wooden shacks. I attended an elaborate celebration put on by the state government to empower people with HIV and children orphaned and vulnerable through HIV where the elites including those of us who were white were deliberately offered better quality food than those being honoured. In the same week of witnessing an 18 year old HIV positive mother not being able to afford to buy formula for her new born baby to save her from becoming infected I was brought by speedboat to a luxury house on private beach with the young Nigerian glitterati.

There were days when I felt glaringly, painstakingly white. During the British colonisation, strikingly few Europeans resettled into Nigeria and the tourism industry is virtually non-existent outside of the main cities. A white person, especially within the rural area where I worked is genuinely shocking to see. Certainly there were times when my skin colour was valued much higher than any skills or knowledge I may have and I found myself a white novelty item more times than I care to remember. However, like most things incurred by this experience, you can choose to embrace or resist the pale-faced predicament. I like to think that myself and fellow oyinbos (the Nigerian term for white person) chose the former. If it meant that necessary work could be quickened or a vulnerable person could be helped than we used the bizarre attention created by our colour-challenged coating to our advantage.

There were no average days in Nigeria. One day I could be demonstrating to policemen how to use a female condom, the next I might end up teaching orphaned children how to Irish dance, the day after that I could be trying to convince the state government to give our NGO HIV testing kits. Yet I woke up every morning feeling exhilarated and downright privileged to be there. The people who welcomed me, taught me about their culture and shared their stories with me made my experience.

When a plane touches down in Nigeria’s capital Lagos, visitors are instantly met with a billboard stating “Welcome to Nigeria, the Land of Passionate People”. This is your first impression of the country and it is also the last sign you see when leaving. In the interim, you will find time and time again that in a country which is as unpredictable and contradictory as they come this declaration is a rare constant. I am humbled, honoured and incredibly grateful to EIL to have been given this exceptional opportunity. Thank you.

School talk about HIV and AIDS

emily_pemily7 — Sat, 11 Sep 2010 15:25:20 +0000

Hey all,

I called in to my old secondary school last week and asked if it would be possible to talk to the transition year group about HIV and AIDS with reference to my recent trip to Nigeria. The school were really supportive and organised for me to talk to alll three of the transition year groups the following week, 61 students in total. So I designed a power-point presentation (being conscious of death by power-point), gathered leaflets, posters and my materials and organised statements for a game.

I must admit that it was a bit wierd going back to my old secondary school, but the staff were so supportive and seemed delighted for me to have returned. I'd really reccommend this as a really effective way of being able to reach teeneagers. They were all given opportunities to ask questions and through our 'walking debate' the group engaged in a brief discussion about HIV and AIDS.

I felt that the talks were very successfull and that the teenagers knowledge of HIV and AIDS really increased and their awareness of how this affects some people inernationally and in Ireland really increased. I was really impressed by how receptive the students were to talking about HIV and AIDS. I felt that I had pitched the content of the workshop at a level which engaged them without overwhealming them.

By reccommending different websites where they can get more information I felt that I supported future learning. I felt that this was a really effective way of reaching teenagers in my community and was so touched by how attentive the students wee throughout my talk. It turned out to that the whole experience worked really well and would fully reccommend school talks as a way of reaching teenagers!

There are no innocent victims of HIV and AIDS.

emily_pemily7 — Mon, 30 Aug 2010 09:22:42 +0000

I once read that "there are no innocent victims of HIV and AIDS because there are no guilty ones"(Personally Speaking, 2007). I have safely returned to Ireland- despite being heartbroken leaving the beautiful Nigeria. HIV and AIDS was at the heart of all of my experiences in Nigeria, in terms of the focus of my work for the NGO, Living Hope Care and most of my discussions with friends. However, as I reflect on these experiences I am struck by the vulnerability of certain groups in our society. From my limited experience in Nigeria and my upbringing in Ireland, I believe that women and young girls are most susceptible to discrimination, violence and poverty. I feel that this is as a result of gender stereotyping, expectation and discrimination which favours neither sex.

It is only while reflecting on some of my experiences with friends and family that I am struck by some of the harsh realties of the detrimental effects of poverty, abuse and gender based discrimination. On examination of the core of many global issues I believe that we can always find common issues which we need to tackle together.

Each person living with HIV also has to cope with the harshness of the stigma associated with this virus. I believe that HIV related stigma emerges from a fear and lack of education regarding HIV/AIDS. I feel that whoever has access to information should use and access it wisely, in order to learn how people can protect themselves and live positively. Through education fear and consequently stigmatization will be reduced. It is vital that we recognize our position of privilege in an unequal world and become informed about this devastating epidemic and that we learn our HIV status. In the global community there are over 39.5 million people living with HIV.

I recognise that HIV related stigma is manifested in different ways, such as rejection by family members, difficulties developing and maintaining relationships, maintaining employment, managing health or financial services, and also gender based violence. I accept as true, the argument that stigmatization and discrimination emerge from the fear of individuals. To quote the powerful words of Father Michael Kelly, the former Professor of Education of the University of Zambia, ‘HIV and AIDS do not stigmatize. People do. It is an assault on human dignity and worth.’

From my amazing, life-changing experiences in Nigeria I am eager to become involved in the struggle to break the silence on HIV related stigma. I urge anyone who takes the times to read this to please take the time to further your understanding of HIV/AIDS in order to protect yourself and those around you.

I will always be grateful to EIL and the wonderful people I met throughout my stay in Nigeria, for enriching my life experience. I was so privileged to have been welcomed and allowed to share laughter and the challenge of the work with some of the most committed people I have ever met.

Count down

emily_pemily7 — Thu, 12 Aug 2010 08:55:48 +0000

Hi everyone! Hope you are all well! Nigeria is still a delightful muddle to me:) I feel like a count down has begun today as I was reminded of the date by one of the students in my computer class. Up until now I have been concentrating on the days of the week to forget the return to Ireland. Work is still so interesting!

In the past few weeks I feel that I have been given a few opportunities to see the treatment offered to some of the most vulnerable people in the area who are affected by HIV/AIDS.
I went to a city, Ibadan, about an hours drive away with people who were going to receive treatments or routine check ups. At the hospital I was taught how to carry out HIV tests, I learned the counseling service that is provided and I got a general insight into the care offered. I also went to visit the home of a patient with an psychiatric disability. This woman is being provided care by Living Hope Care (LIHOC) as she was raped and now has a very young baby. While some of these experiences sound harrowing, they are all set against the background of beautiful Nigerian mountains and the cahotic welcoming society.

So far I have been most struck by the difficulties faced by women who are positive and are pregnant. I have very privileged to have struck up a friendship with a young woman who recently gave birth to a beautiful little girl. From talking with this woman I have gained an insight into the economic difficullties which she faces. I have also been horrified by the stigmatization faced by peolpe living with HIV/AIDs, in this case, the stigmatization and abuse delivered by family members. It has been very frustrating to have to see a vulnerable new born baby be faced with the prospect of becoming infected because the cost of baby formula is too much. It is nothing short of a tragedy that ALL the donars donating baby formula to the state hospital in Ibadan have cut all funding for the project. There was no explanation given for this cutting of funds and the small stock the hospital had is quickly diminishing. It is so sad to witness how vulnerable babies are not afforded the 'luxury' of baby formula simply because they live in sub Saharan Africa. If a pregnant woman decides to breast feed her baby there, without taking ARV's correctly or at all, there is a one in three chance that the baby will transmit the virus. Even if she takes the ARV's the liklihood can be increased greatly if her nipples become cracked or infected. Without education on how to breast feed correctly this is very likely to occur.

Furthermore, having visited state hospitals and maternity clinics (free of charge) to deliver ARV's to new born babies and their mothers, I have seen some atrocious conditions in which some people have to accept medical care. I have really struggled with seeing these conditions and been overwhelmed by the personal stories of those who are delivering care- despite the enormous obstacles they face.

I have begun working on a training, that I will deliver early next week, on Child's Rights. This will be delivered to field officers and volunteers who work directly with children and will hopefull enable them to utilise more effective strategies to correct a child's behaviour rather than physically abusing children.

From these experiences I have learned that having access to information and education is an amazing gift (such teacher talk) and that we should never take this for granted. I am urging everyone to learn their HIV status and become educated on how they can either begin living positively (through diet, deciding whether or not to take ARV's) or protect themselves in order to remain negative. By becoming educating we are reducing the stigma attached to HIV/AIDs. This is the most disabling aspect of the virus and leaves the most vulnerable people in society even more vulnerable. This is true in Nigeria and from my brief introduction to HIV/AIDs in Ireland it is unfortunately true there too.

Before I begin the journey home I have (as usual) a million projects on the go. One of these is an information pamphlet for women who are positive and prgenant. Another is a very exciting vacation camp for orphans and vulnerable children (OVC's). This camp will be on for four days and there will be sixty teenagers attending. We are all going to be staying at a Church nearby and we've got loads of activites! Wohoo! Fingers crossed that it all works out really well.

Hope that you are all really well. I'm sorry for the lack of contact- my mobile phone is broken and internet access is a luxury and a test of patience. It will (brace yourselves) mean that I will be bombarding you all with a million and one stories of this adventure of a lifetime when I return.

I would like to take the opportunity to thank EIL for this amazing experience. I feel so honored to have been given the chance to have travelled all the way to Nigeria and to have been trusted by them to have worked in this dynamic and challenging setting.

Le gach dea-ghuí,

Emily

South Africa : Chicken feet for dinner?! Kayamandi so far..!

Gill Carter — Tue, 27 Jul 2010 13:39:52 +0000

Once I had got to the volunteer hostel in Cape Town I met lots of other volunteers,and ofcourse the generic volunteer conversation was had, this little almost interview like chat is generally to break the ice and to find out the core details. It goes along the lines of your name, where your from, how long you are here from and then; what project you are working on. Generally, I managed to get by the first 3 parts with no problems, I can say that most of the time, I succesfully managed to tell people my name, nationality and length of stay with absolutely no problems! Then when it got to the part aout my project and area, well, thats where things got difficult. All volunteers get a guilded tour around Kayamandi on their orientation week, its a township located one hour outside Cape Town and it hosts 33,000 people, many of whom are living in tin shacks. I told the fellow volunteers, most of whom had been in Cape Town for many weeks or months that I would be working in The Legacy Centre in Kayamandi. And so, when I announced to the volunteers that I would be working and living there, they were not only shocked but almost aired a sense of concern for me. Now, as you can guess, I was starting to freak out, all the other volunteers had seen Kayamandi and had passed on their comments about the poor conditions and poverty. I was the only volunteer in my group to be working out there too. To add to my situation I had heard that my host mother is known to sell and eat chicken feet. What had I got myself into!?

Im in Kayamandi over a week now, and I can say that all my fretting was over nothing. I love this place. My host family is so welcoming and friendly, I've made two new best friends with my host sister and host cousin; Lalita and Latita (although admitedly I do get their names mixed up sometimes!) I'm staying in a house which has running water and electricity, however next door isnt as lucky with only a tin shack as a house. Although it's not nice to see such poverty on a day to day basis it is nice to know that I'm seeing the reality of the situation. I dont have to go searching for what life in a poor township is really like because its right next door. Although I had my reservations to begin with, I know that living here in Kayamandi township is the greatest hing I could have done, it's encouraged me to make up my own mind and opinion, sometimes you just have to pay no attention to others.

When I arrived at the Centre there was so much going on, a woman had been bought in who was a past HIV positive client at the centre. She had been found after she had defaulted and had stopped taking her medication. Her shack was in beyond poor conditions with rain water running through the shack because there wasn't a proper floor. However, it wasnt just this one woman living in this small decreped shack, there was 5 children as young as 5 months too. Their clothes were torn and full of holes, they had no shoes and they were covered head to toe in dirt. Once they got to the centre they had to bathed 3 times to try get them clean, their father had gone and left them. Now, the children are living with members of their family such as aunts and uncles as their mother stays in the centre to go back onto her ARV's and to get some rest.

Our first reaction can sometimes be to blame the mother, accuse her that the children wernt being taken care of. However if we stand back and look at the situation what would each one of us do? What would you do if your partner had left you, you had no money, you lived in a shack, was HIV positive and had 5 children to try provide for even though you had no income, what could anyone do? We must try not to blame or think negatively but understand the situation and sympathise and try encourage. The mother is now in the legacy centre getting some care and some well deserved rest. She is back on her medication and hopefully in time will build up more strength and a better life for her andher children.

So, one week in, Im so glad I'm in Kayamandi.. and theres no sign of chicken feet on the menu yet!

Gill :)

What a difference a year makes

Ciara Cunningham — Tue, 30 Mar 2010 14:39:57 +0000

I haven’t been very good for posting blogs. Lynda’s are so informative and interesting I sit back and let her do all the work! I have learned so much from her over the past few months and I am so grateful to EIL for being paired with such a passionate and knowledgeable travel partner.

What a difference a year makes. When I think back to this time last year I was working in a job in Dublin that I hated with little knowledge of anything to do with HIV / AIDS. Being honest, I couldn’t distinguish between the two back then! It was only after I visited the Irish Aid centre that I heard about the Global Awareness Programme and started researching for the essay that I ignited an interest in the area. The subject of HIV /AIDS is so broad and complex that every time you read something, you learn something new and it’s like a snowball effect – the more you learn, the more you want to learn.

From our initial training with Aine Costigan of Dtalk I knew it was subject that I would have an interest in for a long time to come. To think that there are so many misinformed opinions about an illness, which is by all accounts now a chronic illness, is heart breaking. I recently read a book by an Irish woman who documented her life from before she contracted HIV to the present day. It was a very brave and truthful account of the stigma and discrimination she and her children endured in Ireland. It was painful to read of the downright ignorance of many people in Ireland. We boast of our educated workforce and how far we have come yet it many ways we really know very little and have a very long way to go…especially in the fight against HIV / AIDS.

Like Lynda, I am hoping to continue working in this area…be it as a career or just as a volunteer in local organisations. We are both in the process of completing a certificate in Understanding HIV / AIDS, something I never thought would happen this time last year. The experience I had in South Africa was truly life changing, from visiting local communities (townships), to experiencing living with local people to caring for the most helpless and adorable children. I learned so much about other cultures and about HIV / AIDS.

I wish all the 2010 GAP applicants the very best of luck. It doesn’t matter what your background is, or how much you know now, once you are interested and a passionate you can do so much to help. The next year will be the greatest learning curve for the lucky winners.

* The aforementioned book is “Still Standing” by Liz Martin and is available from AIDS West

Certificate in HIV & AIDS!

Lynda Piper-Roche — Mon, 15 Mar 2010 21:21:12 +0000

Just last week, Ciara and I began a HIV & AIDS Certificate. AIDS West (Galway) are facilitating it and a team from the Terrence Higgins Trust are delivering it. It is a three month course and will give me my very first qualification in the area. Like the HIV & AIDS training the GAP participants received from Dtalk last June before we went to Africa, I loved every second of it, I NEVER talk in class but you could not shut me up!!

It was incredible to observe from the beginning of the course how little some people knew about HIV & AIDS and how their attitudes and opinions changed even after learning a few basic facts about HIV in the first session. It also increased their understanding of the power that the stigma has on 'positive' people. So, in my usual naive way, I recommend that everyone learn a little about HIV, the difference that it would make because the stigma is the biggest issue surrounding HIV & AIDS could be instrumental in tackling the pandemic.

I met some 'positive' people last week, and I learned of the stigma and discrimination that they experience in the developed world, the developing world has a looooooooooooooooooong way to go!

Promiscuity, the polio vaccine and HIV

Lynda Piper-Roche — Sun, 03 Jan 2010 17:37:37 +0000

When I chat with people about the prevelance of HIV & AIDS in Africa, usually their first response is to suggest that Africans are more promiscuous than Westerners. Columnist Kevin Myers, in the Irish Independent newspaper, described Africa as “almost an entire continent of sexually hyperactive indigents..." however, research highlighted by Helen Epstein in her comprehensive account of HIV & AIDS "The Invisible Cure" demonstrates that over the course of their lifetimes; the 'average' African has no more sexual partners than the 'average' Westerner.

Myers also stated that:"Africa is giving nothing to anyone – apart from AIDS ”. There are many theories on the original source of the virus, and while this may never be discovered, the reasons for its spread are necessary in order to combat the stigma surrounding HIV & AIDS.

The polio vaccine theory as the primary cause of HIV was first brought to light in a 1992 Rolling Stone article and was then expanded by former BBC journalist Edward Hooper in a 1999 book, titled "The River: A Journey Back to the Source of HIV and AIDS."

Evidence has shown that the original vaccine was not the primary cause of HIV but it has not ruled out that it may have fuelled the rapid spread of HIV. Tens of thousands of Africans were injected with the polio vaccine in the 1950s, a time when the same needle would have been used over and over again, without being cleaned. This may help to explain why HIV has infected so many people in Africa at such a fast pace. The "extensive use of reusable needles and syringes in mass-vaccination campaigns may also have played a part" in spreading the virus (Connor, London Independent).