Another HIV/AIDS Presentation

Urumwaella (October 11, 2010)

After the last HIV/AIDS presentation we did with the 9 to 15 year olds we were asked to do another one for the parents/guardians of the children in critical situations.  This was what I did today.

Sasha, Jodi, and I were dropped off at Urumwaella this morning and walked back to the school we went to for the last presentation.  When we arrived they had set up some desks in the shade situated between two buildings.  I was thankful when I saw that they had set up some chairs facing the desk so that we could sit down and talk with the guardians.

About 16 adults showed up.  There were 2 older men and the rest were women.  This weekend I had done some research on my own on HIV/AIDS with the goal of finding information that’s more specific to Tanzania. 

To be honest, I was much more nervous to discuss such a weighty subject with these adults than I was to discuss it with their children.  Obviously, some level of cultural competency was necessary for this topic.  My fear was that I would say something offensive, or something that harshly contradicted their beliefs.  I trusted that what I was saying was vital, valid, and important information, but how could I be sure they would feel the same?   

I had heard stories from other placements that definitely put doubts in my mind about how effective this presentation would be.  For instance, the extended family of an orphan whose parents had died of AIDS refused to take care of the child for fear that by touching her they would get HIV.  I also read that there is a lot of denial about how one becomes infected.  Witchcraft is sometimes the “culprit”.  This idea in part stems from the fact that HIV doesn’t start affecting a person’s everyday normal health for 8 to 10 years on average.  So after one gets infected, they may not know they are HIV positive for many years.  When suddenly they start getting sick all the time (because their immune system has been slowly broken down by the HIV virus) its cause is blamed on a curse.  How do I discredit this completely unacceptable belief?  Of course, not everyone holds these beliefs, but you can see the issues I was having with deciding what to say.  It seems that route of transmission is where the most misinformation lies.   

Despite my concerns for being culturally competent, I wasn’t that nervous.  The public speaking thing just doesn’t phase me here, which is baffling, but fantastic!  In part, I think I’m less nervous because this culture is less judgmental when it comes to superficial things like the way you look, the way you dress, etc.  After a few sentences I begin to look around at all the faces of the parents and guardians to try and gage how they’re receiving the information.  I’m relieved! They’re attentively listening and the concern for their loved ones who are affected can be seen in their eyes.

I discuss the causes of HIV.  I explain that you can’t get HIV by simply touching someone who has it, but that it only spreads through mixing bodily fluids including blood, semen, vaginal fluids, and breast milk.  An elderly looking women raises her hand and talks in Swahili to our translator.  She is saying thank you.  She takes care of her grandson because his parents died of HIV/AIDS.  He is also infected and she dresses his sores and wounds.  She was unaware that she had to be careful not to touch his blood. 

Our program mentor acts as the translator for this presentation.  I’m pretty sure he’s well versed in the information we’re delivering.  Sometimes I’ll read a short sentence and he’ll talk for at least a minute! Of course, it’s perfectly fine with me if he wants to expand on what we’ve got to say.  I have a feeling that he could have easily talked to these adults without us.  As I discussed in the last post, something about the color of our skin leads these people to believe that we are well educated, so they consider what we say credible.  I’m getting the sneaking suspicion that our presence at this presentation is more or less for show, but I’m okay with it.  If that’s what it takes to make this information somehow more reliable, so be it.