Story of One, Story of Many

I have been working with the Archdiocesan HIV group for 18 months now and I feel like I am just at the tip of the iceberg of understanding AIDS in Cameroon and Africa. There are over 370,000 people living with HIV (2010 est.) which is down from 2007 (540,000) of the total of 20 million people in Cameroon.

A new woman joined the group last week and was very friendly with me and open about her story.  This is unusual.  Not the friendly part, but most of the women and men in the group are reluctant to talk to me about their HIV status.  Some of it is the language barrier as they are most comfortable in their native village language and most can communicate with each other in Pidgin.  All know some English, but not very much so they only understand the basics of what I say.  I understand some Pidgin at this point, but don’t speak it well at all. But there is also the denial factor, anger issues, grief, shame and other emotions which inhibits them from sharing. 

Anyway, this dear woman told me the story of how she had moved back here from Yaoundé (the capital city) to Bamenda to be with family after her husband died. He must have had a good job as her children all attended private high schools and universities.  She still has two in school and is struggling to pay the school fees.  She did not know at the time of her husband’s death that he died of AIDS, but discovered after his death that she was infected. She was completely shocked by the news.  

When I worked with HIV positive people in Washington DC, the population was entirely IV drug users and gay men. Here most of the HIV positive are married women who contracted it from their husbands. They have to deal with a lot of anger issues and betrayal issues.  Then when the husband dies first, they are left with the financial and emotional burden of caring for the family. 

We only have two men in the group out of 40. Many men refuse to get tested.  Some are still working, others are in denial or just too ashamed.

Our group provides spiritual guidance, emotional support, 1 ½ hot meals, social companionship, educational information, health information, medical guidance, transportation cost, and periodic family financial support.  Most of the group members are involved in the NGO provided and other support is given to people to start small businesses. As far as we know, there is no other such group in Bamenda.

Sr Shelia--founder of the group with a group member

I went to an Orphanage on Sunday and a two week old baby had been abandoned by the mother because they thought she had HIV.  Time will tell if this is the case, but there are too many babies who are born without the mother even knowing she is ill.

I don’t begin to judge the people here, but I do feel incredibly sad at how HIV affects the lives of so many. It is particularly difficult to see the innocent babies affected. But it seems that a least the reported cases are going down, that those treated are living much longer, and that more medications are available.

-Joy