Important note: Information in this article was accurate in 1994. The state of the art may have changed since the publication date.
Mail & Guardian (Johannesburg) - July 22, 1994
Adrian's mother was raped -- she abandoned him when he was 10 days old. Khotso's mother left her baby in the hospital when she found out he was HIV-positive. Siphiwe's foster-parents dumped him at four months when they discovered he had HIV. The twins' mother is too ill to take care of them.
At the centre of all of them are two unsung saints, Salvation Army pastor Lena Jwili and nursing sister Theresa Mokhesi. "The textbooks tell us not to get too close to the babies, because we're going to lose them," says Jwili, who started the home after realising that other institutions were rejecting babies because they had HIV. "But how can I not bond with them? I cannot imagine my life without them."
Jwili and Mokesi run Bethesda on the shoestring of R6 500 a month. They already have a waiting-list of 10 babies, and things are only going to get worse. It is estimated that, by the turn of the millenium, there will be between 500 000 and 1,3-million Aids orphans in South Africa, many of them with HIV themselves.
"You just cannot institutionalise 500 000 children," notes Leslie du Toit, who runs a programme for infected mothers and children in kwaZulu/ Natal under the auspices of the National Association of Childcare Workers. "And we already have such an enormous problem with abandoned and abused children. So we have to find new solutions."
In Africa, of course, there's the much-mythologised extended family: the granny-generation option. But in parts of Uganda and Malawi, it is common to find an 80-year-old woman taking care of the offspring of all four or five of her deceased children. And because Aids hits the economically active sector of the population, she is doing it with little or no income.
Jwili believes the only solution is to encourage the community to take on Aids orphans. "But there's still so much fear and stigma, so much education that needs to be done."
Most striking about Bethesda is that, although most of the babies entered the home very ill, all are now as healthy as normal children. Surprise, surprise: even babies with HIV thrive on good nutrition -- and love.
940722
MG940701
Copyright © 1994 - Daily Mail & Guardian. For information about the content or for permission to redistribute, publish or use for broadcast, contact the publisher.
AEGiS is a 501(c)3, not-for-profit, tax-exempt, educational corporation. AEGiS is made possible through unrestricted funding from Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS, Elton John AIDS Foundation, the National Library of Medicine, Pacific Life Foundation and donations from users like you.
Always watch for outdated information. This article first appeared in 1994. This material is designed to support, not replace, the relationship that exists between you and your doctor.
AEGiS presents published material, reprinted with permission and neither endorses nor opposes any material. All information contained on this website, including information relating to health conditions, products, and treatments, is for informational purposes only. It is often presented in summary or aggregate form. It is not meant to be a substitute for the advice provided by your own physician or other medical professionals. Always discuss treatment options with a doctor who specializes in treating HIV.
Copyright ©1980, 1994. AEGiS. All materials appearing on AEGiS are protected by copyright as a collective work or compilation under U.S. copyright and other laws and are the property of AEGiS, or the party credited as the provider of the content. .