Live and Let Live

Paul Chitnis continues his series on his recent trip with Cardinal O’Brien. This week he discusses how SCIAF is helping those living with HIV/AIDS in the Democratic Republic of Congo to face the future with hope.

Dominating the landscape in Bukavu, in the Democratic Republic of Congo, is Lake Kivu, a massive expanse of water nearly three kilometres square, on which fishermen in their dug out canoes appear like flecks of dust on a television screen. Of the many who fish on the lake there are some who are not only earning a living but giving hope to the most vulnerable members of society: those who live with HIV/AIDS.

Against the obvious backdrop of grinding poverty in the Democratic Republic of Congo, the silent spectre of HIV/AIDS is no less devastating. 10% of the population live with this terrible disease, facing a daily struggle against poverty, illness, despair and stigma.

A simple, wooden building on the banks of the lake houses the SCIAF-funded fishing project. A piece of paper taped to the door proclaims their motto: ‘Live and Let Live’. This unique project is uniting the community in the battle against HIV/AIDS. As the chairman of the committee explained:

“People living with AIDS face many difficulties which is why we started this project. It has been running for a year and in that time we have built houses for some of those who are ill, we have fed 4,000 people each day and over 100 fishermen have registered as blood donors.”

The project provides a comprehensive community approach. People living with AIDS manage the project since they are too weak to undertake fishing. The fishermen are taught about the dangers of HIV/AIDS and are encouraged to become blood donors, providing support for the local hospital. The fish provides much-needed protein. Any money raised is saved to pay for housing, new equipment and the needs of those who are ill. The ladies who sell the fish are also taught about the dangers of HIV/AIDS and they are able to educate their peers.

Educating people about the virus means they can act responsibly to avoid infection. It also helps to overcome the stigma associated with HIV/AIDS. One woman who is HIV positive explained how she was treated like a leper once people learnt of her status. If she touched someone they would burn their clothes. Even relatives closed their doors on her. A sewing project funded by SCIAF is helping such women to earn a living and grow in confidence. Gracianne, who works with the SCIAF-funded project, Codilusi, explained:

“We’re considering launching a new activity of a rabbit farm with the money from the fishing and sewing projects or we may move on to chickens or goats. They will help to raise funds and improve nutrition. We’ve found this type of community activity works better because the time invested leads to a project that is productive.”

Of course, SCIAF’s work will not put an end to the injustice of poverty or the scourge of HIV/AIDS. Both of which are closely linked. HIV/AIDS is a challenge not just to aid agencies and the medical profession but to politicians and church leaders too. Those involved with the fishing and sewing projects are able to attend local health care centres for treatment of opportunistic infections but as the Chairman of the Fishing Project explained, “We know that some countries have medicines to fight HIV/AIDS but in the Congo we have none.”

It is estimated that 26million people in Sub-Saharan Africa live with HIV/AIDS. The figures both convey and cloud the reality. Their enormity sometimes makes it difficult to appreciate the personal suffering they represent. Ultimately the battle against HIV/AIDS is a daily fight, fought by weak and ill individuals who are working hard to secure a better and safer future for their children whilst being denied the anti-retroviral medicines that we in developed countries take for granted.

As Cardinal O’Brien explained:
“HIV/AIDS prospers where poverty and violence are endemic. There are no easy fixes. Addressing the underlying causes of poverty – economic exclusion and injustice in particular – are an integral part of the solution and demand urgent attention from the international community. Anyone who has stared into the emaciated face of a young woman dying prematurely of AIDS, and held her feeble hand, as I did in the Congo . . . must look for some solution to the problem.”

Published in the Scottish Catholic Observer, February 2004